From the outside, everything about this looks so conventional: a string quartet, with a German name, visiting from Europe and playing a couple of programs of standard repertoire.

No fancy title, no prestigious new commission, nothing eye-catching about the publicity photo. But clearly it has been enough to sell tickets: the Saturday night performance I attended was full, and the Sunday afternoon concert has been sold out for a while. Perhaps it has something to do with the ‘exclusive’ nature of the event – it’s unusual for Adelaide audiences to be the only ones in Australia to catch a touring group like this.

Or, perhaps, it really is just about the music. Good string quartets (both compositions and ensembles) are worth hearing.

The Schumann Quartet takes its name not from Robert or Clara, but from three-quarters of its regular membership: the Schumann brothers Erik (violin), Ken (violin) and Mark (cello). Veit Hertenstein on viola is usually the only non-Schumann, but for this tour they have a guest cellist, Alexey Stadler, as Mark Schumann stays home for the birth of his first child.

Schumann Quartett. photo © Harald Hoffmann

It was fascinating to watch...