Sensitive musicianship defines these winning performances
The Strad Issue: July 2025
Description: Sensitive musicianship defines these winning performances
Musicians: Eusebius Quartet
Works: Elgar: String Quartet; Carissima (arr. Farrington). Fauré: String Quartet; Préludes op.103: nos. 4, 8 & 9 (arr. Farrington)
Catalogue number: SOMM RECORDINGS SOMM0703
This pairing of Elgar and Fauré seems perfectly suited to a quartet that takes its name from the more introverted and thoughtful of Schumann’s two contrasting characters – perhaps an apt counterpart to the qualities the group brought to its 2021 recording of Korngold’s Piano Quintet.
The relative austerity of the two main pieces is cut through by Elgar’s orchestral ditty Carissima and three of Fauré’s nine piano Préludes, all in arrangements by the indefatigable Iain Farrington. The ditty could take more swish and nonchalance; and the Fourth Prélude might have a lighter step, but the intensity of no.9 – an Adagio whose snaking dotted-rhythm melody pervades the texture, much as in the ‘Offertoire’ of the Requiem – is gripping.
The larger-scale pieces also benefit from this intensity, which partly stems from the limited vibrato: adding polish to this very ‘honest’ sound would seem superfluous. The top lines are prominent in both the quartets and first violinist Beatrice Philips navigates them with a soloist’s personality, but without overstatement.
Stylistically, the Elgar and Fauré are satisfyingly distinctive. There are moments of touching intimacy in the slow movement of Fauré’s quartet, but the highlight is perhaps the Elgar, its moods shifting freely between despair and flickering lightness to create a deeply involving performance.
EDWARD BHESANIA
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