• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Stockbridge Music

 Cart     My account
  • Home
  • What’s on
  • Venues
  • Reviews
  • About us
  • Support us
  • Contact

Review: Morassi Quartet, 3rd March 2023

March 6, 2023 By Stockbridge Music

Stockbridge Music has unearthed a young treasure in the form of the Morassi Quartet. Average age 23, these four talented artists played as one, with an emotional maturity belying their years.

We were taken on a tour of the string quartet’s development over three centuries. The concert opened with Haydn’s “fifths” quartet from the 18th century, the dazzling peak in Haydn’s career. Unusually for Haydn, three of the four movements are in a minor key, and the ensemble clearly articulated the contrasts between the work’s overarching austerity with the mood-lifting folk dance sections.

Fast forward to the mid-20th century, the folk music theme continued with Bacewicz’s Quartet No. 4. This was a revelation: while the quartet is definitely ‘modern’ in feel, it was accessible and vibrant. The Quartet clearly loved playing this piece, and the energetic communication between them was wonderful to watch. The lively finale was the perfect way to send us off to the interval.

The second half was devoted to the 19th century with the great ‘heart on their sleeve’ Romantics, Rachmaninov and Mendelssohn. The quartet brought out Rachmaninov’s youthful lyricism, warmth, and wistfulness, beautifully contrasting the composer’s long languid lines with his clear and precise pizzicato and tremolo sections.

The highlight of the evening was their rendition of Mendelssohn’s last major work. We were left in no doubt that here was a man wracked with the pain and turmoil of grief following the death of his beloved sister, Fanny. The quartet dived headlong into the emotional whirlwind and led us on an exhilarating and virtuosic journey of bristling intensity. The audience burst into grateful applause at the end, having been moved and touched in the way that only great music played brilliantly can do.

As an aside, it was delightful to see two primary-school aged children in the audience. Stockbridge Music has long held an ambition to nurture the next generation of classical music lovers, and its recently launched concession pricing for under 18s appears to have got off to a good start.

Karen Malim, 6th March 2023

Filed Under: Reviews

Primary Sidebar

Sign up for our newsletter

Footer

Terms and conditions of sale
Data privacy notice

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
TVBC
Stockbridge Music is a not for profit organisation with a mission to bring world class live classical music to the local community and to foster the musical education of young people.

Copyright © 2023 Stockbridge Music · website by Northerwood

We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “Accept All”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies. However, you may visit "Cookie Settings" to provide a controlled consent.
Cookie SettingsAccept All
Manage consent

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously.
CookieDurationDescription
cookielawinfo-checkbox-analytics11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-functional11 monthsThe cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-necessary11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-others11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other.
cookielawinfo-checkbox-performance11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance".
viewed_cookie_policy11 monthsThe cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. It does not store any personal data.
Functional
Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features.
Performance
Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors.
Analytics
Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc.
Advertisement
Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads.
Others
Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet.
SAVE & ACCEPT