Biography
One of Britain's longest-running chamber ensembles, The Brodsky Quartet has also distinguished itself through repeated ventures beyond standard boundaries. Founded in 1972 by violinists Michael Thomas and Ian Belton, violist Alex Robertson, and cellist Jacqueline Thomas—all participants between the ages of 11 and 13 in the youth program at Manchester's Royal Northern College of Music—the group took its name from violinist Adolph Brodsky (1851-1929). After coaching with members of the Amadeus and Vermeer Quartets, the ensemble captured its first major award at the Portsmouth Chamber Music Competition in 1979, made its London debut in 1982, and entered the recording studio two years later with an ASV release devoted to Delius and Elgar. Between 1985 and 1988 the quartet held a residency at Cambridge University, becoming the first string quartet to occupy such a post. In 1989 it presented the complete Shostakovich quartets at London's Queen Elizabeth Hall, and two years afterward it appeared for the first time at New York's Carnegie Hall. Teaching engagements have included the Dartington Summer School and the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama. As of 2019 the founding violinist Ian Belton and cellist Jacqueline Thomas continued with the group, joined by first violinist Krysia Osostowicz and violist Paul Cassidy.
Cross-genre work began in earnest during the 1990s. The quartet appeared on Elvis Costello's 1993 album The Juliet Letters, which reached the charts in both the United Kingdom and the United States, and later collaborated with Paul McCartney as well as with Björk on the "Strings" volume of her 2002 Family Tree collection. In 1994 it became the first string quartet invited onto The Tonight Show. Among later projects, With Love and Fury paired the ensemble with singer-songwriter Katie Noonan, whose texts drew on the poetry of Judith Wright. Its recorded output encompasses complete cycles of Beethoven and Shostakovich alongside numerous contemporary scores, issued principally on Chandos, Teldec, and Challenge Classics. For Chandos the group released Elgar's String Quartet, Op. 83, and String Quintet, Op. 84 (with pianist Martin Roscoe) in 2019, followed in 2020 by a cycle of Beethoven's late quartets and in 2021 by Homage to Bach, containing string-quartet transcriptions of Bach's works for solo violin. In 2022 the quartet accompanied jazz vocalist Jacqui Dankworth on the cross-genre album Rocking Horse Road. At that point its discography comprised more than 45 titles.
Cross-genre work began in earnest during the 1990s. The quartet appeared on Elvis Costello's 1993 album The Juliet Letters, which reached the charts in both the United Kingdom and the United States, and later collaborated with Paul McCartney as well as with Björk on the "Strings" volume of her 2002 Family Tree collection. In 1994 it became the first string quartet invited onto The Tonight Show. Among later projects, With Love and Fury paired the ensemble with singer-songwriter Katie Noonan, whose texts drew on the poetry of Judith Wright. Its recorded output encompasses complete cycles of Beethoven and Shostakovich alongside numerous contemporary scores, issued principally on Chandos, Teldec, and Challenge Classics. For Chandos the group released Elgar's String Quartet, Op. 83, and String Quintet, Op. 84 (with pianist Martin Roscoe) in 2019, followed in 2020 by a cycle of Beethoven's late quartets and in 2021 by Homage to Bach, containing string-quartet transcriptions of Bach's works for solo violin. In 2022 the quartet accompanied jazz vocalist Jacqui Dankworth on the cross-genre album Rocking Horse Road. At that point its discography comprised more than 45 titles.
Albums
