The Escher Quartet at St. Peter Mancroft Church

On the evening of Thursday 17th May 2012 I attended the Escher Quartet concert at St. Peter Mancroft Church, Norwich at the Norfolk and Norwich Festival. I was seated in the choir stalls for this performance which was quite an experience as this dynamic young ensemble thrilled a large audience at such a beautiful venue.

The programme consisted of Quartet No.6, Op.80 in F minor - Mendelssohn, Eclipse - Brett Dean and Quartet No.13 in A minor, Rosamunde - Schubert. The Escher Quartet are Adam Barnett-Hart - violin, Wu Jie - violin, Pierre Lapointe - viola and Dane Johansen - cello. They were founded in 2005, named after the Dutch artist M.C. Escher, drawing inspiration from his method of depicting the interplay between individual components to form a whole.

Wonderful pieces from Mendelssohn and Schubert were both played brilliantly while Brett Dean's Eclipse which was written as a response to the Tampa crisis which unfolded in the Indian Ocean in August 2001 was a complete contrast with it's stark yet richly textured soundscape. This was a splendid night at St. Peter Mancroft Church as the Escher Quartet brought their own  unique style to the Norfolk and Norwich Festival.