Shopping Cart

0 Items in Cart
Fitzwilliam String Quartet

Fitzwilliam String Quartet

Founded in 1968 by four Cambridge undergraduates, first became well known through their association with Shostakovich, who entrusted them with the Western premieres of his last three quartets



On Wenlock Edge - Ralph Vaughan Williams
On Wenlock Edge - Ralph Vaughan Williams
A stunning collection of songs reminiscent of the idyllic English countryside. 

CKD 296  

Brahms Clarinet Quintet
Brahms Clarinet Quintet
A beautiful and historically notable programme of Brahms, Mozart, Glazunov and Sweeny. 

CKD 278  

Linn Records Sampler
Linn Records Sampler
Linn Records sampler with highlights from the Jazz, Classical and Scottish catalogue. 

AKP 175  

The Seven Last Words
The Seven Last Words
A passionate and sensitive performance of Haydn's famous work "The Seven Last Words". 

CKD 153  

Fitzwilliam String Quartet

Founded in 1968 by four Cambridge (England) undergraduates, the Fitzwilliam String Quartet first became well known through their close personal association with Dmitri Shostakovich, who befriended them following a visit to York to hear them play. He entrusted them with the Western premières of his last three quartets, and before long they had become the first ever group to perform and record all fifteen. These recordings, which gained many international awards, secured for them a worldwide concert schedule, and a long term contract with Decca/London which culminated in a Beethoven cycle. Indeed, the Shostakovich set was included in Gramophone magazine's "Hundred Greatest-ever Recordings" in November 2005.

They are one of the few string quartets in the world to use Classical instruments for the appropriate repertoire, and perhaps unique in that they perform on both historical and modern set-ups - sometimes within the same concert!

In July 2001 they made their first ever trip to South Africa, where they gave two concerts in the National Arts Festival at Grahamstown (the second largest in the world, after Edinburgh) - including the world première of Michael Blake's first quartet. That experience also initiated a renewed interest in contemporary music, which has resulted in nearly thirty additions to the new century's repertoire.

Their trip to the USA in February 2006 included a marathon three-hour event in Lorin Maazel's private concert hall at his farm near the Blue Ridge Mountains in Virginia. They have been invited to make tours to China and India, and 2006 saw return visits to Spain, Switzerland, the USA, and to Russia for the Shostakovich centenary celebrations. Indeed, it was this special anniversary which, not surprisingly, was at the centre of their activities that year.


For further information - www.fitzwilliamquartet.org
Tune in to 'In Tune'...
21 January 2010
The Fitzwilliams, James Gilchrist and Anna Tilbrook perform on Radio 3!
more >>

Fitzwilliam Quartet celebrates its 40th Anniversary
12 February 2009
special concert planned
more >>

Bach Track
'...this was a performance that communicated splendidly the work's generous and tender heart and the profundity of its composer's vision.'
more >>

MusicWeb International
"...Striking..."
more >>

Early Music News
a superb performance of these marvellous pieces
more >>

The Scotsman
playing that is pure, sensitive and, where called for, gorgeously passionate
more >>

Scotland on Sunday
a fascinating insight
more >>

05 May 2013 to 05 May 2013
England
Royal Pump Rooms, Leamington Spa England UK


09 May 2013 to 09 May 2013
England, London
Sutton House, London England United Kingdom
Sutton House music Society

19 May 2013 to 19 May 2013
England, London
Sutton House, London England UK
Sutton House Music Society

02 June 2013 to 02 June 2013
England, London
Wigmore Hall, London England United Kingdom
Wimore Coffee Concert

12 June 2013 to 12 June 2013
England
Doncastrer Museum, Doncaster England UK


14 June 2013 to 14 June 2013
England
Church, Grange-in Borrowdale Cumbria England UK


15 June 2013 to 15 June 2013
England
St Cuthbert's Parish Church, Allendale Northumberland England UK
Music in Allendale

06 September 2013 to 06 September 2013
England
Aukland Castle, Bishop Aukland Co Durham England UK
Bishop Aukland Music Society

01 October 2013 to 01 October 2013
Scotland
TBC, Peebles Scotland UK
Music in Peebles

19 October 2013 to 19 October 2013
England
TBC, Richmondshire N Yorkshire England UK
Richmondshire Concert Series

14 November 2013 to 14 November 2013
England
TBC, Gloucester England UK


15 December 2013 to 15 December 2013
Europe
Bourglinster Castle, Bourglinster Luxembourg Europe
Bourglinster Music Festival