The Lindsays, perhaps the leading chamber group in Britain today, are held in such affectionate familiarity that the word "quartet" seems to have been dropped from their title. The Lindsays recorded all of Beethoven's works some years ago; their latest cycle will see all of the composer's quartets performed at the Wigmore Hall over three consecutive weekends. Yet what was surprising about this first recital was that, far from sounding like masters returning to familiar territory, their playing was not entirely convincing.
As ever, their interpretations never sounded laboured, nor set in stone. They were not afraid to experiment with the tonal colour of their instruments, and play in the quietest of whispers. However, some of the faster passages suffered from shaky intonation and a lack of definition, and the runs of the first violinist, Peter Cropper, rarely took flight.
The quartet tended to excel in more subdued and atmospheric passages; the slow movements were, in their way, spellbinding. Cropper spun the melody of the Adagio affettuoso of Op 18 No 1 into an unbroken thread, the two inner players alternately impassioned and emollient in their support. For the Quintet in C Op 29, they were joined by violist Louise Williams, matching the Lindsays' care and tenderness.
The Quartet in A minor Op 132 had them using every colour they could muster, from the hushed opening bars to the rich warmth of Robin Ireland's viola melody in the second movement. The third movement was the evening's highlight. Based around a chorale melody, this strikingly original piece was Beethoven's way of thanking his maker for his recovery from illness. The Lindsays kept a special sound for the chorale passages; playing without vibrato, their raw yet distant sound was nostalgic, reminiscent of a viol consort. The sun came out with Ronnie Birks's contrasting second violin melody, before the chorale returned in a blissfully intense variation.
There are great riches beneath the surface in all of Beethoven's chamber works - but there are moments of obvious flamboyant virtuosity too, and these should still thrill even the most intellectually centred listener. Perhaps the Lindsays have looked so attentively at the elusive depths of the works that they have forgotten that the surface glitter is essential too.
