takács quartet at st george’s…

Thanks to my good friend Ed - whose wife Ann unfortunately (but to my good fortune) had to attend an important meeting - I went along to St George’s last night to hear/see the acclaimed Takács Quartet play a programme of work by Haydn, Bartok, Schubert and Debussy (plus a superb Beethoven encore).
I’m not a classical music connoisseur (understatement!) and wasn’t familiar with any of pieces but, nevertheless, found it absolutely compelling. The exceptional performers Edward Dusinberre (violin), Harumi Rhodes (violin), Richard O’Neill (viola) and András Fejér (cello) produced an evening of mesmerising music – exquisite musicianship, timing and engagement of complex works in front of a near-capacity, enthusiastic, appreciative audience.
Quite a night!
PS: I’m always incredibly impressed that the knowledgeable music devotees know exactly how many sections each piece of music consists of and are able to delay applauding until the appropriate moment (ie. the actual end!). Over the years, I’ve learnt never to take the 'lead', but merely wait for ‘others’ to respond!