Beethoven round 2 from the Belceas

Thursday saw another terrific concert in the Belcea Quartet's Beethoven cycle at Wigmore Hall.  Read my review at Classicalsource.  Also, read my interview with Belcea violist Krzysztof Chorzelski from earlier this year.

Interview: Belceas take on Beethoven

Boulez isn't the only B in town.  Across at Wigmore Hall, the Belcea Quartet are beginning a year long cycle of Beethoven's string quartets, starting tonight with Op18/3, Op74 and Op130 (without Grosse Fuge).  I spoke to the quartet's violist, Krzysztof Chorzelski, for Classicalsource.com about this new project.  You can read the full interview here.  Tickets for this evenings concert are sold out, but the concert is broadcast live on Radio 3 at 7.30pm and will be available for 7 days on BBC iplayer.

Tetzlaff jumps to Finnish label Ondine

Slipped Disc carries news of another top artist leaving the safety of a big record label for the freedom of an independant one.  In this case, German violinist Christian Tetzlaff has left EMI to join the adventurous Finnish label Ondine, perhaps best known for their tireless advocacy of Finnish composers such as Rautavaara.  Tetzlaff isn't the only big name to have left EMI recently; Krzysztof Chorzelski of the Belcea Quartet told me recently, for a forthcoming interview for Classicalsource.com, of their frustrations with EMI and their shift to small French outfit Zig Zag Territoires.  It seems that the attractions can be greater artistic freedom and a choice of more unusual repertoire.  Let's hope it works out for CT.