Music making of rare dedication and searing commitment .There has been no greater example of selfless dedication and humility than the Beaux Arts Trio and it was the image of it’s founder Menahem Pressler that cast a shadow over the last two days of music making at the Wigmore Hall.

Last night the Lozakovich/Kantorow duo and tonight the Schumann Quartet.
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A sixteen year old Lozakovich in Berlin, the Deutsche Grammophon’s yellow lounge and the early formation of the Schumann brothers with whom Pressler gave many concerts including one of his first Franck Quintet’s when he was well into his 90’s!

For two consecutive nights the Wigmore has resounded to music making of rare mastery and commitment and which just demonstrated the perfect size and famous acoustic of the Wigmore Hall for listening to chamber music.

The Schumann quartet playing with authority and masterly musicianship. Ken watching closely his brother as they united with the ravishing sounds of Mark’s cello and the subtle beauty of Veit Benedict Hertenstein’s viola.

Flying in from Frankfurt with not a little difficulty. Lost baggage, hence improvised concert suit for Mark, not to mention the booking for the cello unable to be found and only thanks to BA’s caring staff allowed to arrive for the concert

I think the relief to sit down and make music added a different dimension to their playing and gave a driving intense feeling to all they did.

Nowhere more than in the Weiner String quartet that was played with ravishing colour and a driving masterly intensity. A true discovery of a quartet that had the same astonishing mastery of writing for all four instruments that was so evident in Beethoven’s Razumovsky op 59 n.2

What a joy to see the relish on Ken’s face as his brother added such Razumovskian charm to Beethoven’s final Presto op 59 and to the early op 18 played as an encore .

Haydn is alway a revelation and this string quartet op 54 n2 was astonishing for it’s mastery of writing that just pointed his pupil,Beethoven, in the direction of his inspirational final thoughts of his late quartets op 127 to 135

I look forward to hearing more Beethoven from them on their next visit .

This summer they are performing the 16 Beethoven quartets in their first complete cycle and are even tonight back in Frankfurt with their first ‘Harp’ quartet op 74.

The Wigmore resounding to quartets this week with their International Competition that moves from the early rounds at the Royal Academy onto this hallowed stage on Saturday and Sunday for the semi final and final. All streamed live and not to be missed.