Since its foundation in 2007 the Notos Quartett has won six first prizes as well as numerous special prizes at international competitions in the UK, the Netherlands, Italy and China. For their Oxford debut, the players have devised a rich programme centred around nature and youth, and Music at Oxford is thrilled to include this concert in their 40th Anniversary season.
Walton’s piano quartet was written when the composer was just 16, and was published while he was studying at Oxford. Mahler was also 16 when he wrote his own quartet, and a youthful optimism shines through both works. All three composers were deeply affected and inspired by the natural world. Brahms began each day with a walk through the forest, and throughout his life Mahler retreated to his ‘composing huts’, often built near lakesides, in order to find tranquility. Walton, meanwhile, took up full-time residence on the Italian island of Ischia, where his wife Susana created the magnificent gardens at La Mortella.
‘Notos’ perfectly blended sound brought to mind the experience of a find old burgundy – rich, warm, elegantly refined, glowing with an inner spirit that resulted in some of the finest chamber music performances I have ever heard anywhere.‘ Classical Voice North America
'[The Notos Quartett are] unanimous in the way they shape the music and so impeccable in their blend and tuning – this is superb chamber music playing.' The Guardian