Sara Bitlloch, leader of the Elias Quartet, in her eloquent introduction to Beethoven’s Op 131 Quartet, described it as a journey.

It is an appropriate image not only for this work and its performance but for the whole concert at St George’s Church and, indeed, their project to perform all Beethoven’s quartets over a two-year period.

This concert consisted of quartets from each of Beethoven’s three periods. Op 16 No 5 represented the young Beethoven at his most urbane and classical with Mozart as his model. The 3rd Razumovsky is one of the most compelling masterpieces of his middle period, overwhelming in its energy and command. Finally, at the end of his life, came the unique, mysterious and searching late quartet referred to.

Incidentally, the venue of this concert was being built exactly contemporaneously with its composition.

The Elias Quartet are on a great voyage of discovery. Some quartets may bring more intensity and energy to the music, others more refined tone – but the Elias’s performances are the result of much dedication and thought, and they carry the audience with them as they strive to get to the heart of this visionary music.