Entering the Hall: A Night at Wigmore, 2023
A single pizzicato from the first violin hums in the air of Wigmore Hall, April 2023; the audience, poised between inhalation and applause, holds its breath as the Carducci Quartet recalibrates the final bars of Britten’s String Quartet No. 2. Each tiny shift—left-hand vibrato, featherweight articulation—reverberates against oak and plaster, linking past and present in a microsecond of tension. In these moments, one begins to grasp how this generation is quietly transforming what we understand as the British quartet sound.
Setting the Stage: What is “National Sound”?
The phrase “national sound” is a contested one. For decades, British chamber ensembles have been described as reserved, luminous, evenly balanced—a legacy traced from the Amadeus through the Lindsay and Takács Quartets to today’s vanguard. But today, younger groups like the Carducci and Doric Quartets both inherit and interrogate this reputation. What do they keep, what do they change, and—above all—how do they make us listen differently?
- Historic British sound: Often associated with clarity, transparency, refined timbral blending; less vibrato and emotional restraint (ref. Tully Potter, Gramophone, 1996).
- Contemporary trends: Greater dynamism, expressive individuality, more porous genre boundaries.
Foundations Unveiled: The Legacy Inherited
Both the Doric and Carducci arose in the early 2000s, trained at leading UK conservatoires and coached by players with direct links to earlier generations. The Doric was mentored by members of the Amadeus and Hagen Quartets (Royal College of Music, c. 2005); Carducci by Gábor Takács-Nagy, among others (Royal Northern College, c. 2003). Both cite the impact of composers like Britten, Vaughan Williams, and Bridge—a suggestion that orientation toward British repertoire remains foundational.
Yet—unlike their predecessors, who often championed Haydn and Beethoven as touchstones—the Carducci and Doric have foregrounded contemporary and less-performed 20th-century British works in their core programming. Notably:
- Carducci’s complete Shostakovich Quartet cycle (2015–2016, Carducci Classics) opened new perspectives on British engagement with Soviet modernism (see reviews: BBC Music Magazine, 2016).
- The Doric’s premiere UK recording of Mendelssohn’s rediscovered Quartets (Chandos, 2020) drew on archival research, with liner notes making direct comparisons to English idioms.
Sound Worlds: Articulation, Blend, and Attack
Three characteristics historically mark out the “British” quartet sound: articulation (precise shaping of notes), blend (the seamless combination of individual instrument timbres), and attack (the clarity of note onset). These are not static; how are younger quartets negotiating these concepts?
- Carducci: Listen to their 2022 concert recording of Britten’s “Alla marcia” (from String Quartet No. 2, Wigmore Hall Live): the ensemble explores aggressive accents offset by unexpectedly warm lower register phrasing (cf. 3:15–4:00). The bass’s slight delay in chord changes, reminiscent of English choral tradition, anchors an otherwise motoric momentum (Wigmore Hall Live, 2022).
- Doric: Contrast with the Doric’s live BBC Radio 3 broadcast of Purcell Fantasias (2019). Their use of gut strings and lighter bows facilitates transparency, but their phrasing is bolder, more “speaking”—each gesture inflected with soloistic colour, reflecting both historical instrument practice and modern expressive ideals.
Guide d’écoute : Les marqueurs du “son national” revisités
- Carducci/Britten à 2’42 : Détachés (notes séparées) heurtés et passages piano ; on perçoit un héritage “élisabéthain” (cf. Peter Holman, “British String Playing”, 2002).
- Doric/Purcell à 5’28 : Dialogue premier violon/violoncelle, chaque voix s’affirme—polysémie du timbre (plusieurs couleurs superposées).
- Carducci/Beethoven à 1’19 (Live at Aldeburgh 2023) : Interprétation musclée, mais final piano retenu—jeu avec la tradition d’effacement.
Repertoire and Programming: From National Canon to Transnational Dialogue
If the national sound is partly defined by what is played, one must observe the programming choices made by these groups:
- British anchors: Both quartets feature Britten, Elgar, Bridge, and Tippett regularly.
- Import & Export: Carducci’s Shostakovich cycle and the Doric’s Beethoven series (Wigmore Hall, 2022–23) deliberately juxtapose local with continental repertory.
- Commissions: Doric’s premiere of Brett Dean’s String Quartet No. 3 (Wigmore Hall, 2019) and Carducci’s work with composers Helen Grime and Mark-Anthony Turnage reflect a contemporary British voice that is porous, outward-facing, often collaborative.
Recent years have also seen both ensembles champion neglected voices—Errollyn Wallen (Doric, Cheltenham Festival 2021) and Elizabeth Maconchy (Carducci, King’s Place 2020)—subtly redrawing the national canon.
Interpretation as Conversation: Dialogue With the Past
British string playing has always been self-aware; period ensembles like the English Concert and Academy of Ancient Music have shaped expectations of “authenticity” even among modern-instrument quartets. The Doric, in particular, navigates these legacies:
- Uses baroque bows and gut strings for Purcell and early Haydn, but modern set-ups for Britten—flexibility as philosophical stance (see Abel Tomlinson, “Historic Instruments in Contemporary Performance”, The Strad, 2021).
- Tempi often quicker than 20th-century British norm: compare Lindsay Quartet’s Vaughan Williams (ASV, 1990, 13’47) to Doric’s 2021 reading (Chandos, 12’14)—a more speech-like, less “pastoral” pacing.
This is more than stylistic choice; it signals a relationship to tradition that is dynamic, not static. In interview (BBC, “In Tune”, 2022), Alex Redington (Doric) frames it thus: "We are custodians, not curators—we tend the garden, not the museum.”
French insert: Résumé analytique
En résumé : Les Carducci et Doric s’inscrivent dans l’école britannique par la recherche d’équilibre sonore, la clarté de l’articulation et un soin du phrasé hérité du chœur anglais. Mais ils y ajoutent une expressivité investie, des choix de programmation plus larges et une approche de la musique “nationale” comme matériau en dialogue constant avec d’autres traditions.
Critical Reception: Rewriting the Reviews
The British press has increasingly commented on these changes. Reviewing Carducci’s Shostakovich cycle at the Barbican in 2016, The Times (Richard Morrison, 12/11/16) observed: "shivering discipline, yes—but a willingness to let the music crack and shudder, rare in a country sometimes allergic to excess." Likewise, Jessica Duchen (BBC Music Magazine, April 2020) highlighted the Doric’s “restless curiosity,” linking it to new commissions and risk-taking in programming.
Meanwhile, their engagement with archive and tradition has proved equally newsworthy: the Doric’s collaboration with the British Library for score restoration (2020) and Carducci’s project re-recording early broadcasts lost in WWII bombings (see BBC Radio 3, “Music Matters”, April 2021) frame interpretation as both investigation and restoration.
Listening as Discovery: What the Audience Hears
For new audiences, these quartets offer access points to British music that are at once familiar and reframed. Educational initiatives—the Doric’s “QuartetLab” workshops (2022–present) and Carducci’s video masterclasses (Launched 2021, freely accessible online)—democratise access to technical and interpretive insight, making “national sound” a lived, ongoing conversation rather than a closed tradition.
Guide d’écoute :
- Carducci, Shostakovich No. 8, 2nd mov. (2022): Listen at 4:09–5:15. The cellist’s pizzicato becomes almost percussive, revealing a sense of historical disruption.
- Doric, Tippett Quartet No. 1 (Wigmore Hall, 2023): Try 7:30–8:03. Texture thins suddenly, echoing Purcellian “fantasia” polyphony with modern sonority.
Ongoing Change: Inclusion and the Rewriting of Tradition
Diversity is gradually reshaping the face—and sound—of British ensembles. Both the Carducci (which includes Irish, British, and French members) and Doric (women and men, varying paths) subtly challenge monocultures in “national” performance. Newly-commissioned works increasingly reflect broader societal narratives; the national sound is not only interpreted, but reimagined.
Some signs of change:
- Carducci’s outreach to state schools (2020–2024): over 80 workshops and “side-by-side” performance projects, often including children of recent migrants (reported in The Guardian, Oct. 2022).
- Doric’s collaboration with Chineke! on joint concerts (planned 2024), mixing classical with British-African string repertoire.
Reinterpreting the National Sound: A Map Still Unfolding
Today’s British quartets are neither mere echoes of the past nor unmoored from it. In their blend of forensic historical awareness and restless creative experimentation, the Carducci and Doric Quartets prove that the “national sound” remains a living terrain—contested, evolving, and open to all who would trace its contours with listening ears. The journey of British chamber music, like the notes that linger in a sympathetic hall, is far from finished.
Glossary
- Articulation: The way notes are shaped and separated—legato (smooth) vs. staccato (separated).
- Phasing: How musical phrases are grouped, often suggesting breathing or rhetorical shape.
- Timbre: The unique “colour” or quality of an instrument’s sound.
- Polyphony: Multiple, independent musical lines occurring simultaneously.
Carte des lieux cités
- Wigmore Hall, Londres (54 Wigmore St, W1U 2LY)—salle de référence pour la musique de chambre.
- Royal College of Music (Prince Consort Road, SW7 2BS)—formation du Doric Quartet.
- Royal Northern College of Music (124 Oxford Rd, Manchester)—formation du Carducci Quartet.
References: BBC Radio 3, Wigmore Hall Live, The Strad, Gramophone, The Times, The Guardian, Chandos, BBC Music Magazine. Dates and discographies checked against ensemble websites and British Library archives.