photograph © marc marnie
Edinburgh Quartet
The Edinburgh Quartet was founded in 1959 by Sydney Newman at the University of Edinburgh and quickly became established as one of the foremost British ensembles. International success soon followed, with tours to Western Europe, the USA and Canada, South America, the Caribbean, Poland, Russia, Croatia, many Middle Eastern countries, Hong Kong and Singapore.
Fifty years on, and now under the dynamic leadership of Tristan Gurney, the Edinburgh Quartet has a busier concert schedule than ever before. It is Resident Quartet at Napier University and the University of Glasgow, and has strong links with the Universities of Edinburgh and Aberdeen. These educational links have enabled the Quartet to establish strong connections with many composers, including Michael Tippett - the Edinburgh Quartet's recording of his Quartet no. 1 was selected by the composer for re-release shortly before his death.
The Edinburgh Quartet was awarded the Contemporary Music Prize at the Evian-les-Bains String Quartet Competition and the first PRS award to be given by the Society of Scottish Composers.
Recent recordings include the complete quartets of Kenneth Leighton and Hans Gal ("Editor's Choice", Gramophone Magazine, 2007) Thomas Wilson, Robert Crawford, Kenneth Dempster, Bill Sweeney and a younger generation including Wagstaff, Nitibhon and Ip.
A strong educational programme has contributed hugely over the years to the musical development of both the young and young at heart.
"The Edinburgh Quartet has never played better… scorchingly focused performances"
The Herald
"These were virile performances that struck deep into the soul of the music"
The Scotsman
Edinburgh Quartet - Mairi's Wedding (from Three folk settings) by Edward Harper
audio clip included with kind permission
licenced by the MCPS-PRS Alliance for playback on www.sound-scotland.co.uk
| Date | Day | Time | Location | Event Details | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Please check back for updates. | |||||
| OCTOBER | |||||
| 24 | Fri | 7.30 pm | Bieldside | Edinburgh Quartet | |
| 25 | Sat | 7.30 pm | Aberdeen | Falling Light, Janis Claxton Dance & the Edinburgh Quartet | |
| NOVEMBER | |||||
| 6 | Thu | 12.45 pm | Aberdeen | Edinburgh Quartet | |
- website link for Edinburgh Quartet: www.edinburghquartet.com
- events with Edinburgh Quartet in previous sound festivals
- other artists and composers involved in sound 2008