THE ALLEGRI STRING QUARTET / Haydn, MacMillan, Schubert

Description

The Allegri Quartet, one of the UK’s leading string quartets, continues its tradition of recording for The Naim Label with the release of a new album. Featuring a carefully chosen repertoire of work by Haydn, MacMillan and Schubert, this latest CD demonstrates the quartet’s wealth of chamber music experience from around the world.

The Allegri has gained three new members recently: Rafael Todes on second violin, Dorothea Vogel on viola and Pal Banda on cello join Peter Carter. This balance of youth, maturity and experience leads to a performance that is breathtakingly dynamic and full of the hallmarks of the Allegri’s distinctive personality.

Tuireadh by James MacMillan was commissioned by the BBC for the Allegri Quartet, in memory of the victims of the Piper Alpha oil rig disaster. This is their first recording of the piece, and sees them accompanied by James Campbell on clarinet. Also of note is the stained glass featured on the CD cover. This was also created in memory of the lives lost, and is installed in Ferryhill Church, Aberdeen.

Haydn’s String Quartet in F Major, Opus 50, was written for the cello-playing King, Frederick William 11 of Prussia. The Allegri have chosen to record No 5 for this disc, thus sharing the King’s good fortune with us!

Schubert’s Opus 29 completes the disc; this was the first quartet to have been performed publicly and the only one to have been published before Schubert’s death.

Haydn: String Quartet in F Major Opus 50 No. 5
1. Allegro Moderato
2. Poco Adagio
3. Menuetto – Allegretto
4. Vivace
James MacMillan: Tuireadh for Clarinet and String Quartet
5. Tuireadh
Schubert: String Quartet in A Minor Opus 29 (D804)
6. Allegro ma non Tropp
7. Andante
8. Menuetto & Trio
9. Allegro Moderato