Belcea Quartet, The Sage Gateshead

The dynamic Belcea Quartet has embarked on an ambitious survey of all 16 of Beethoven's String Quartets; a project being shared with North-East audiences at The Sage Gatehead over several months during the coming season. The first of six appearances in the acoustically-brilliant Hall Two opened with Beethoven's earliest work in the medium, the confusingly labeled Quartet No 3. Lead violinnist Corina Belcea-Fisher was a study in concentration as she led a scintillating performance with her cohorts Axel Schacher on second violin, cellist Antoine Lederlin and violist Krzysztof Chorzelski. As versed as they are in the music, the quartet maintained a keen sense of spontaneity as they laid out the contrasting passages with razor-sharp articulation. The rich andante was beautifully phrased, while the presto brimmed with energy. Beethoven's middle period was represented by Quartet No 10 in E Flat, known as Of the Harps for its pizzicato passages, which were flawlessly conveyed. The evening concluded with Quartet No 13 in B Flat. Written when Beethoven was profoundly deaf, it featured the controversial Grosse Fuge that so challenged musicians they asked for a less complicated replacement. The quartet performed the revised version, saving the Grosse Fuge for their last appearance. A highlight of the evening was an exquisite rendition of the Cavatina, the thought of which is said to have brought tears to the eyes of Beethoven himself. The work was driven to a thrilling climax, with the audience transfixed throughout.