NYC Debut reviewed in New York Times

In their debut performance in New York City, the Maxwell Quartet met critical acclaim from one of the United States’ most respected publications - The New York Times. Here’s what they said:

“Flashes of thigh, and wit, are not the only reason to take note of the Maxwell Quartet, which hails from Scotland and advertises that fact both in its dress and in its repertory, which includes striking arrangements of folk music. (As the sole Englishman in the lineup, the violist Elliott Perks wore tartan trousers.) As Sunday’s eloquent performance demonstrated, the players bring the same charisma and sense of adventure to their selections.

The slightly tart, resiny sound of traditional fiddle playing carried over beautifully into fresh readings of Haydn and into the Beethoven. But perhaps the most arresting moment was James MacMillan’s “Memento” from 1994, in which wisps of a melody floated on hazy harmonies and coalesced into heaving sighs before dissolving again into ghostly strains, rendered with a kind of fierce tenderness. CORINNA da FONSECA-WOLLHEIM

Full review here: https://www.nytimes.com/2019/01/25/arts/music/kilted-quartet-the-week-in-classical-music.html