26/09/11
Review/Photos by: Mark Williams
Formed only a few short years ago, the Raven Quartet have bridged the divide between classical and contemporary in a seemingly effortless fashion. Brahms jostles shoulders with Motorhead in their repertoire and both seem to get on just fine.
The Quartet featuring Stephanie Benedetti (violin), Kirsty Mangan (violin), Natalie Holt (viola) and Rachael Lander (cello), have already played with amongst others; Gorillaz, Jools Holland and Ellie Goulding. So it would seem that eclecticism comes naturally to them, and tonight in the Elgar Room is no exception.
The girls take it in turns to chat and introduce each new change in musical direction, describing enthusiastically their interpretations. The 4 seasons gets cut down to 2, Katy Perry segues into Rhianna, Brubeck into Miller via Tangos and Scottish Trad. Their imaginative, full-blooded playing, being the unifying force behind this geographic and historical musical journey.
Amy Winehouse’s ‘Back to Black’ is rendered in suitably somber fashion, before the pace is once again picked up via some Hungarian gypsy folk and a cover of Queens of the Stone Age’s ‘No one knows’. The Raven Quartet are children of the Ipod generation where the ultimate playlist is whatever you want it to be. They seem like they’d be equally at home playing to gilded rooms of chamber music aficionados, as they would be to a muddy field of rock festival punters.
I’ve always thought Khachaturian was a bit of an old rocker anyway….
For more info. Check out their website on www.ravenquartet.co.uk
For more photos: www.markwilliamsphotography.com
SET LIST:
Vivaldi -Four Seasons Medley (Summer and Winter from The Four Seasons)
Ravel -Bolero
Brahms – Hungarian Dance No. 5
Morricone – Gabriel’s Oboe
Foo Fighters – The Pretender
Radiohead – Street Spirit (Fadeout)
Katy Perry/Rhianna – I Kissed A Girl/Only Girl In The World
Brubeck/Miller – In The Mood For Brubeck (Unsquared Dance/Take Five/In The Mood)
Khachaturian – Sabre Dance
Amy Winehouse – Back To Black
Gade – Tango Jalousie
Piazzolla – Libertango
Trad. Scottish – Scottish Medley
Queens Of The Stone Age – No-one Knows
Rota/Monti – Don Czardas (The Godfather/Czardas)
Motorhead – Ace Of Spades
