Aeolian Quartet - Recordings

Recordings

The Quartet in its earlier manifestation, with Humphreys, Keenlyside, Forbes and Simpson, sometimes appears on vinyl under a 'Revolution Records' label (a form of the Delta Records label, made and distributed by RCA, not to be confused with the 1996 label of that name), as for instance in a recording of the Elgar piano quintet with Leonard Cassini, Revolution LP RCB.8 . Since the Aeolian Quartet's predecessor the Stratton Quartet had made the 1933 recording of the Elgar quintet, this Aeolian version (through the continuity in the group of Watson Forbes) has the authority of a tradition going back to the composer.

The Quartet made many recordings, but is especially noted for the complete Haydn cycle. This included the dubious op 3 series, and an account of the Seven Last Words From The Cross with poetic readings by Peter Pears (the Hurwitz-Keenlyside-Major-Simpson version, replacing a well-known Humphreys-Keenlyside-Forbes-Simpson version of the same work). In the Schubert C major quintet D956 (c1966) their collaborator is Bruno Schrecker. In recordings of the quartet (composed 1951-52) and clarinet quintet (1968) by Robert Simpson, the clarinettist is Bernard Walton.