Virtuoso Quartet


The Virtuoso String Quartet was a British quartet, founded by the Gramophone Company in 1924 to be the first such quartet established specifically for recording. In effect they displaced the Catterall Quartet from their position recording for HMV.
Marjorie Hayward led them for the 15 years of their life. Raymond Jeremy and Cedric Sharpe previously performed in the Philharmonic Quartet.

Personnel

1926/10: The first Bradford Festival of Chamber Music. Brahms sextet op36; Schoenberg Verklärte Nacht
1926/12/11: St. Martin-in-the-Fields. Debussy quartet G minor; Mozart quartet in E flat
1927/6: John B. McEwen: two quartets
1927/10: Second Bradford Festival
1927/9/28, 1927/10/12&26: Aeolian Hall, London
1927: Wigmore Hall, London. Bax: Quartet 2, Oboe quintet, Piano quintet
1928/3/13, Town Hall, Chelsea: Chelsea Music Club 36th concert
1928/10/23: Town Hall, Oxford: Ravel
1928/11/22: Town Hall, Oxford
1930/3/26 Wigmore Hall: Bax
1930 As part of the Celtic Congress, University College concert hall, London; concert included work by John McCormack, the Welsh soprano Megan Foster, and the cellist, Beatrice Harrison

Acoustic recordings (4 sets; all premiere recordings)

Beethoven: no 8, E minor : late 1924
Tchaikovsky Quartet 1 in D, Op. 11: 1923
Franck: String Quartet in D: Premiere recording
Bridge Three Idylls: 1923.

Electrical recordings (6 sets and some singles)

Ravel: quartet; Introduction and Allegro with John Cockerill, harpist.
Borodin: Nocturne
Debussy: Quartet G minor
Beethoven: No.9 in C Op.59/3
Beethoven: No.6 in Bb Op.18/6.
Glazounov: Orientale: 1928
Thomas: Mignon Gavotte 1928; HMV B 2784

Press Notices

"From the London station we have had many good things during the past month, the pick being the Virtuoso Quartet in Mozart and Debussy…"
"Good as these Budapest party records are , they are beaten all round by those of the Virtuoso Quartet in Debussy's G minor… For vividness and sonority this is surely among the finest achievements of the Company".
"… distinguished themselves as virile performers of Beethoven… put up so excellent a show "