Heath Quartet - Tippett: String Quartets (2015) [CD-Rip]

Between 2013 and 2014, the Heath Quartet performed Michael Tippett's five string quartets in four concerts at Wigmore Hall, and this double CD presents the cycle with great clarity and freshness. Tippett composed these eclectic works over a period of almost 60 years, so the many changes in style and expression can be explained by that long time span, and attributed to the composer's constant search for new sources of inspiration. Obvious influences are Renaissance counterpoint, the late string quartets of Ludwig van Beethoven, jazz, and the rhythmic innovations of Igor Stravinsky, though these elements are well integrated and the music is always coherent and approachable. The Heath's audience shows its appreciation at the end of each performance, but the expert recording keeps background noises to an absolute minimum and gives the ensemble something close to studio sound quality. -- Blair Sanderson