“There was great communication between them.”
REVIEWS
READ A NEW YORK TIMES REVIEW OF THE MAXWELL QUARTET HERE
"Hats off to them for tackling [Beethoven op.127. [They] went for storytelling and took some risks, and there was great communication between them." —The Strad
“The Maxwells played with verve and confidence. Each movement – from the arresting opening five fortissimo chords to the exuberant energy of the final Vivace, the Quartet played with wit and passion. Each note held conviction, and the first violin solo (Colin Scobie) honoured Haydn’s protégée Johann Peter Salomon’s virtuosity . . . the Maxwell Quartet’s energetic but precise rendition . . . had the audience stamping their feet, and applauding not one but multiple encores.” —The Oxford Daily Info
"Philip Glass’ String Quartet No 2 was brought alive by the visceral rhythmic playing of the Maxwell Quartet" —The Scotsman
"A fascinating, magical experience . . . The Maxwells were persuasive players . . . characterful, and beautifully paced playing." —The Arts Desk
"The Maxwells were brilliant in Nielsen's First Quartet . . . as too was their Shostakovich 10, where they caught the confidentiality of the music by scarcely letting it raise its voice." —The Herald Scotland
"Affectionate and warm . . . the quartet shone in their hands . . . persuasive advocacy." —The Telegraph
"It felt like every note mattered . . . an explosive performance." —The Scotsman
"Deeply moving and elegiac . . . terrifically exhilarating." —The Herald Scotland
"Totally committed to the music . . . brought out every nuance in the score . . . a dramatic and stunning performance." —Mid Argyll Arts Association
"As if they had been together for years . . . unanimity and heartfelt emotion came across to the audience who responded warmly . . . reinforced their reputation as one of the best young quartets around." —The Oban Times
"Thrilling . . . imagination, daring and poise in equal measure."—Charles Mutter, Director, Loch Shiel Spring Festival
"Brilliantly fresh, unexpected and exhilarating . . . an enlightening and enthralling musical experience." —The Herald Scotland
"Superbly balanced and articulated . . . a subtlety and maturity of interpretation that belies their youth." —Ellon Times
"Four young men in the prime of life playing with such panache and conviction." —Strathearn Herald
BIOGRAPHY
1st Prize winner and Audience Prize winner at the Trondheim (Norway) International Chamber Music Competition in 2017, the Maxwell Quartet has been hailed for "great communication" by The Strad Magazine and as “brilliantly fresh, unexpected and exhilarating” by The Scottish Herald. The Glasgow-based Maxwell Quartet is now firmly regarded as one of Britain's finest string quartets, with a strong connection to their folk music heritage and a commitment to bringing together wide-ranging projects and programmes to expand the string quartet repertoire.
The quartet performs regularly across the UK and abroad, at venues including London’s Wigmore Hall, Purcell Room, St Martin-in-the-Fields, and the BBC Chamber Music Proms. Their 2017-18 season includes engagements in Denmark, Norway, Germany, the Netherlands, France and China. Their first North American tour, in January 2019, is to coincide with the release of their début CD, featuring works by Haydn and traditional Scottish folk music.
The Maxwell Quartet consists of four great friends who grew up playing classical and folk music together in youth orchestras and music schools across Scotland. The group officially began in 2010 at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, where its founding members met as postgraduate students. The very next year, the Quartet was appointed as the Conservatoire's Young Artists in Residence.
Performing widely across Scotland, the quartet has established a reputation for delighting audiences with their "unnaffected enthusiasm" (North Highland Times) and their "panache and conviction" (Strathearn Herald). The quartet has held residencies at Oxford University, Perth Concert Hall and many chamber music festivals across the UK, including their own Loch Shiel Festival in the Scottish highlands.
Passionate about collaborating with other musicians and art forms, the quartet has worked with world-renowned pianists Benjamin Grosvenor and Jeremy Menuhin as well as a global roster of artists and institutions including Cryptic Theatre, the experimental performance space Wintour’s Leap, the Royal Ballet School, the Scottish-German soul duo Lunir, cinematographer Herman Kolgen, and many more. They have also commissioned works by some of the UK's most dynamic composers including Anna Meredith, Tom Harrold, Mark Simpson and Colin Broom. The quartet regularly broadcasts on BBC Radio Scotland, as well as giving school workshops and children's concerts.
The Maxwell Quartet was mentored by the Endellion Quartet at King's Place, London, and studied privately with Hatto Beyerle, founding member of the Alban Berg Quartet, in Germany.
“Very fine performances . . . clear and impassioned.”