Cavaleri Quartet, Kendal Town Hall

THE Midday Concert Club’s season, which has been splendid in every way, came to an end in glorious fashion with a recital by the Cavaleri Quartet. It was easy to hear why this is one of Europe’s finest string ensembles. Individually each player performs with stylistic confidence and virtuosic dash, possesses a wonderful sense of phrase-shape and is blessed with the priceless gift of immaculate intonation. When combined in quartet terms these attributes result in something very special indeed. The Quartet radiates a sense of a total synthesis in everything undertaken - tonal blend, rhythmic cohesion and a true understanding of the music’s stylistic and technical demands. The listener, whilst naturally revelling in all this splendour, can thus more fully appreciate the genius inherent in the works under scrutiny.

Haydn’s Op 74 No 1 and Schubert’s Death and the Maiden quartets received readings that transcended most (if not all) of the string quartet performances at the Midday Concert Club that it has been my privilege to review.

I emerged, as did everybody, I’m sure, into the springtime sunshine, revitalised by this scintillating experience.

Brian Paynes