Formed in 2013, the Ruisi Quartet make a more than agreeable impression in their belated debut on disc with a centuries-spanning pairing of two Haydn quartets, a Matthew Locke Fantasie and the premiere of two works by Oliver Leith.
Disparate and disconnected though that compendium might seem, The Big House (the disc’s title, taken from the seven-part quartet commissioned by the Ruisis from Leith) proves to be an intriguing recital that darts to and fro in time to make surprising and persuasive connections between the antique and the new.
The whole is framed by two Haydn quartets: the minor-keyed No. 11 (Op. 9, No. 4) and No. 23 (Op. 20, No. 5); the former brimming with byzantine intrigue, the latter boasting a graceful, songful Adagio nestled within nervy, volatile outer movements.
The vibrato-free Ruisi foursome – siblings Alessandro (first violin) and Max (cello) Ruisi; Oliver Cave (second violin) and Luba Tunnicliffe...
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