Fitters’ Workshop, Canberra
May 3, 2018

There was an undeniable buzz about the Orava Quartet in the lead up to their concert at the Canberra International Music Festival. The audience had a taste during Souvenir de Florence on the Sunday evening of the festival’s opening weekend, but the 14th concert of the festival put the foursome – who are riding the success of their recent album release on Deutsche Grammophon – in the spotlight with a program of Haydn, Rachmaninov and Debussy.

The Orava Quartet at the Canberra International Music Festival. Photo © Peter Hislop

As much-hyped as the ensemble has been, they didn’t disappoint. It’s not just that their playing is as immaculate as their matching uniforms, this is quartet playing that’s vibrant, exciting and that demonstrates an impressive commitment to a unified concept of sound and musical expression.

All this and more was on display in the Oravas’ slick rendition of Haydn’s String Quartet No 30 – dubbed The Joke and the second of his Opus 33 quartets. The players opened with a clean, lively sound, the vibrato pared back and First Violin Daniel...