EDINBURGH QUARTET

Tuesday, 4th October 2011 at 7:30pm in the Eastgate Theatre

Before the concert the Quartet will give a short talk about the music to be played.

Over many years, the Edinburgh Quartet have combined a world-wide touring schedule with a strong commitment to bringing their extensive repertoire to audiences throughout Scotland. A centrepiece of the Quartet's 2011/12 season is a complete cycle of Beethoven's quartets, and they bring one of his late examples to Peebles, together with Mozart's beautiful 'Hoffmeister' quartet and the most popular of the Shostakovich quartets.
This is a rare opportunity to hear the work of three of the greatest composers in the string quartet genre, all at the height of their powers, played by one of the leading ensembles of the last half-century.

Photo: Jean Stoner

THE EDINBURGH QUARTET
Tristan Gurney, violin
Philip Burrin, violin
Jessica Beeston, viola
Mark Bailey, 'cello

About the Edinburgh Quartet

The Edinburgh Quartet was founded in 1960 and quickly became established as one of Britain's foremost chamber ensembles, appearing regularly at prestigious venues across the country including London's Wigmore Hall and The South Bank Centre. It achieved international recognition after winning the Contemporary Prize at the Evian-les-Bains String Quartet Competition and has since toured extensively across Europe, the Far East, North and South America and the Middle East. The Quartet have made numerous BBC TV and BBC Radio 3 broadcasts and can also be heard on Classic FM. 2010 marks the Quartet's fiftieth anniversary and it is now one of the longest running chamber ensembles in the UK with a busier performing schedule than ever before.

The Quartet is resident at Glasgow University and Edinburgh Napier University and also collaborates with Aberdeen and Edinburgh Universities. In addition to a regular classical concert series at each of these institutions, the Quartet is committed to nurturing talent and championing new music. The ensemble has worked with many important and prolific composers of our age, including the Quartet's patron, James MacMillan and Michael Tippett, who selected the Edinburgh Quartet's recording of his First Quartet for re-release on EMI shortly before his death.

"The Edinburgh Quartet has never played better… scorchingly focused performances."
The Herald

"For fifty years the Edinburgh Quartet has been one of the leading chamber ensembles of the UK....providing some of the most exciting performances in the business."
James MacMillan, Composer

This concert is subsidised by Enterprise Music Scotland supported by The National Lottery through Creative Scotland.