Allegri Quartet

The Allegri Quartet is a British string quartet that was founded in 1953 by violinist Eli Goren.[1][2] The other original members were second violinist James Barton, violist Patrick Ireland, and cellist William Pleeth.[1] It is Britain's longest-running chamber music ensemble.[3][2]

A commitment to refreshing the chamber repertoire had led the Allegri Quartet to give more than 60 world premières since 1964, including specially commissioned pieces by leading composers such as James MacMillan, Jonathan Harvey and Colin Matthews.[4]

History and reception

In its first decade, the quartet performed in concerts throughout Britain, including in Bristol and Halifax, often with artists such as Lord Menuhin and his pianist sister Hephzibah Menuhin.[5][6] Performances were also given at the Victoria and Albert Museum during the quartet's early years.[7]

By 1961, the Allegri Quartet was featuring in concerts broadcast by the BBC in which they received a "well-deserved ovation".[8]

A 2001 review in the Glasgow Herald said that the Allegri Quartet "judged [Berg's Lyric Suite] to perfection, allowing the important inner lines to merge with unusual clarity and plumbing the score's complex textures in a straightforward and unfussy way, firmly resisting any temptation to milk the charged harmonies or wallow in the passages of brooding melancholy."[9]

In comparing and contrasting the Allegri Quartet to the now-defunct Amadeus, Bayan Northcott wrote in The Independent in 2004 that "where the older group cultivated a tremulous sweetness of sound, the Allegri always went for a plainer, perhaps more deeply penetrating manner – not to say, more adventurous programming."[1]

Personnel

The names of the current performers are shown in emboldened text. The quartet's members have included:

1st Violin

  • Eli Goren – Founder[1]
  • Hugh Maguire – Succeeded Goren as leader[1]
  • Peter Carter – Became leader in 1976[1][9]
  • Daniel Rowland – Joined after Carter's retirement in 2005
  • Ofer Falk
  • Martyn Jackson

2nd Violin

  • James Barton (active 1954-1963)
  • Peter Thomas
  • David Roth
  • Fiona McNaught
  • Rafael Todes

Viola

  • Patrick Ireland (viola)[10]
  • Prunella Pacey
  • Keith Lovell
  • Roger Tapping
  • Jonathan Barritt
  • Dorothea Vogel

Cello

  • William Pleeth
  • Bruno Schrecker
  • Pal Banda
  • Katherine Jenkinson
  • Vanessa Lucas-Smith

Anniversaries

The Quartet celebrated their 50th anniversary in 2004 with performances at venues including Wigmore Hall, London.[1] By 2023, Rafael Todes, 2nd violin with the Allegri Quartet for many years, had decided to form the New Allegri following the quartet’s decision to disband in the wake of the pandemic. The revitalised quartet's performance in July 2023 at the Llanfyllin Music Festival was duly celebrated: "Britain’s longest running quartet have been playing at Llanfyllin since 1972".[11]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g Northcott, Bayan (9 January 2004). "Reviews: Classical: Allegri String Quartet Wigmore Hall London". The Independent. London. ProQuest 310580419. Retrieved 20 November 2024.
  2. ^ a b "The Allegri String Quartet". Hyperion. Retrieved 20 November 2024.
  3. ^ Millington, Barry (2 May 2017). "Allegri Quartet, classical review: The finest of ensembles". The Evening Standard. London. Retrieved 20 November 2024.
  4. ^ "Associate Musicians - Allegri String Quartet "…the shimmer and grace and intelligence of this ensemble is riveting"". Goldsmiths, University of London. 2024. Retrieved 26 December 2024. Allegri String Quartet "…the shimmer and grace and intelligence of this ensemble is riveting". The Independent on Sunday The Allegri Quartet is Britain's longest-running chamber music ensemble, sustained over six decades by successive generations of the finest international performers. Their reputation for distinctive and stimulating interpretations is rooted in tradition yet alive to contemporary trends. A commitment to refreshing the repertoire had led the Allegris to give more than 60 world premières since 1964, including specially commissioned pieces by leading composers such as James MacMillan, Jonathan Harvey and Colin Matthews. The Allegri Quartet also plays a key role in training the next generation of string and chamber music players, and enjoys long-standing teaching residencies at Durham University, the University of East Anglia, Nottingham, Bangor and Middlesex. Recent Allegri projects included the world première of a new commission by Anthony Payne and a complete cycle of Beethoven's string quartets over two seasons at Kings Place in London and the Holywell Music Room, Oxford.
  5. ^ "EVENING POST TUESDAY MAY 24, 1960 -...programme a festival...St Stephens Lansdown... The Allegri String Quartet, Yehudi Menuhin (violin)..." Bristol Evening Post, Bristol, England. 24 May 1960. Retrieved 26 December 2024. TUESDAY MAY 24 Right programme a festival...St Stephens Lansdown [Bath]...The Allegri String Quartet ...Yehudi Menuhin (violin)...
  6. ^ "Halifax Antiquarian Papers A week of music, drama and opera". Halifax Evening Courier Yorkshire, England. 11 October 1958. Retrieved 26 December 2024. ...and orchestral concerts are supported by a series of recitaLs, including ones given by Yehudi and Hephzibah Menuhin, the Allegri String Quartet and Annie Fischer. Opera is represented by Handel's Samson, which is to be produced at the Grand Theatre by...
  7. ^ "MUSEUM CONCERT - The Allegri Quartet (Eli Goren, Patrick Ireland, James Barton and William Pleeth)". Kensington News and West London Times London, England. 14 November 1958. Retrieved 29 December 2024. The Allegri Quartet (Eli Goren, Patrick Ireland, James Barton, and William Pleeth with Terence Weil) will give next Sunday's concert at the Victoria and Albert Museum - Works to be played will include...
  8. ^ "String quartet to visit music club". Worthing Gazette Sussex, England. 15 November 1961. Retrieved 26 December 2024. String quartet to visit music club - One of Britain's best-known string quartets, who were recently featured in the B.B.C.'s...television programme, will be the guests of Worthing Music Club at Is next concert in the Assembly Hall on Saturday...[also: Worthing Gazette Sussex, England 22 Nov 1961 - FINE PLAYING BY STRING-QUARTET: A WELL-DESERVED ovation was given to the Allegri String Quartet at the close of the concert given to members of the Worthing Music Club in the Assembly Hall on Saturday. Consisting of Eli Goren and James Barton (violins)]
  9. ^ a b Strugnell, Stephen (28 April 2001). "Allegri String Quartet, RSAMD, Glasgow". The Herald. Glasgow. ProQuest 332828951. Retrieved 20 November 2024.
  10. ^ Ireland, Robin. "Obituary: violist Patrick Ireland (1923 - 2024)". The Strad. Retrieved 21 December 2025.
  11. ^ "Preparations are well under way for Llanfyllin Music Festival". DTS Media. 18 June 2023. Retrieved 26 December 2024. There was great excitement and anticipation in the music community when we learned that Rafael Todes, 2nd violin with the Allegri Quartet for many years, had decided to form the New Allegri following the original quartet's decision to disband in the wake of the pandemic. The New Allegri's inaugural performance – on Saturday 15 July 2023 – will be a moment of great emotion, as Britain's longest running quartet have been playing at Llanfyllin since 1972. The new line-up comprises Rafael as 2nd violin; violist Graham Oppenheimer, who played with Rafael in the Schidlof Quartet; cellist Kirsten Jenson, another Allegri alumna; and Ben Nabarro, first violin with the acclaimed Nash Ensemble, as guest musician..


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