Virtuoso Quartet

The Virtuoso String Quartet was a British quartet, founded by the Gramophone Company (better known as HMV) in 1924,[1] being the first such quartet established specifically for recording.[2] In effect they displaced the Catterall Quartet from their position recording for HMV.[3]

Marjorie Hayward led them for the 15 years of their life. Raymond Jeremy and Cedric Sharpe previously performed in the Philharmonic Quartet.

Personnel

Concerts

1926/10: The first Bradford Festival of Chamber Music.[4] Brahms sextet op36; Schoenberg Verklärte Nacht

1926/12/11: St. Martin-in-the-Fields. Debussy quartet G minor; Mozart quartet in E flat (K.v. 428) [5]

1927/6: Wigmore Hall, London. John B. McEwen: Three quartets[6]

1927/10: Second Bradford Festival

1927/9/28, 1927/10/12&26: Aeolian Hall, London

1927: Wigmore Hall, London. Bax: Quartet 2, Oboe quintet, Piano quintet[7]

1928/3/13, Town Hall, Chelsea: Chelsea Music Club 36th concert[8]

1928/6/15: Aeolian Hall, London. John B. McEwen: Quartet in C Minor, first performance; Arnold Bax; York Bowen.[9]

1928/10/23: Town Hall, Oxford: Ravel[10]

1928/11/22: Town Hall, Oxford

1930/3/26 Wigmore Hall: Bax[11]

1930 As part of the Celtic Congress, University College concert hall, London; concert included work by John McCormack, the Welsh soprano Megan Foster, and the cellist, Beatrice Harrison [12]

Acoustic recordings (4 sets; all premiere recordings)

Beethoven: no 8, E minor (Op. 59/2): late 1924

Tchaikovsky Quartet 1 in D, Op. 11: 1923

Franck: String Quartet in D: Premiere recording (1925)[13]

Bridge Three Idylls: 1923.[14]

Electrical recordings (6 sets and some singles)

Ravel: quartet; Introduction and Allegro with John Cockerill, harpist.

Borodin: Nocturne

Debussy: Quartet G minor

Beethoven: No.9 in C Op.59/3

Beethoven: No.6 in Bb Op.18/6.

Glazounov: Orientale: 1928

Thomas: Mignon Gavotte 1928; HMV B 2784[15]

Press notices

"From the London station [BBC] we have had many good things during the past month, the pick being the Virtuoso Quartet in Mozart and Debussy…"[16]

"Good as these Budapest party records are [Haydn op76/1, HMV D1075-7], they are beaten all round by those of the Virtuoso Quartet in Debussy's G minor… For vividness and sonority this is surely among the finest achievements of the [Gramophone] Company".[17]

"… distinguished themselves as virile performers of Beethoven… put up so excellent a show [in Ravel]"[18]

References
  1. "Acoustic Chamber Music Sets". Archived from the original on 2008-07-07. Retrieved 2008-12-01.
  2. "Download Landon Ronald and Edward German (mostly acoustics)". Groups.google.com. Retrieved 2022-05-01.
  3. "Download: Catterall String Quartet in Beethoven, Brahms and Tchaikovsky (HMV, 1921-24)". Groups.google.com. Retrieved 2022-05-01.
  4. Ibbs and Tillett: the rise and fall of a musical empire, Christopher Fifield; Ashgate, 2005, ISBN 978-1840142907
  5. "Letter from John Cawte Beaglehole, 1926-12-13". Nzetc.org. Retrieved 2022-05-01.
  6. "Review Week". R. A. M. Club Magazine. 77: 20. March 1927.
  7. Programme: Arnold Bax Recital, 20 October 1927
  8. "Collection Description : A. L. Bacharach collection: Box 8 (1927-28)". Concertprogrammes.org.uk. Retrieved 26 May 2022.
  9. "Recent Concerts". R. A. M. Club Magazine. 81: 14. June 1928.
  10. "Collection Description : Oxford Subscription Concerts (1920-30)". Concertprogrammes.org.uk. Retrieved 26 May 2022.
  11. "Collection Description : A. L. Bacharach collection: Box 10 (1930)". Concertprogrammes.org.uk. Retrieved 26 May 2022.
  12. "The International Celtic Congress". Celtic-congress.org. Archived from the original on 2011-07-25.
  13. "Real Post: Download Virtuoso String Quartet acoustic Franck Quartet, Slobodskaya's Peter and the Wolf, Rosamunde Overture". Groups.google.com. Retrieved 2022-05-01.
  14. "Download: Beethoven Quartet in E minor, by the Virtuoso Quartet (HMV, 1924)". Groups.google.com. 2008-03-19. Retrieved 2022-05-01.
  15. The Musical Times, 1 December 1928, p1091
  16. The Musical Times, 1 October 1925, p. 919
  17. The Musical Times, 1 May 1926, p. 431
  18. The Musical Times, 1 December 1931, p. 1100
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