Reviews
30/03/09

*5 stars*- The Financial Times

‘Intoxicating warmth and emotional spontaneity that is irresistible…velvet-toned, beguilingly responsive playing ’ - Strad Magazine‘

‘A passionate and penetrating performance. The warmth of their playing disarms criticism, especially in the most moving account of Bax’s tender slow movement it’s been my luck to encounter. The Pavãos love this work, and they want us to love it too. The sheer, purple passion of the Pavão’s vision swept me along as never before in this most approachable of the composer’s three essays in the medium, and I commend it as heartily as I feel he would have done himself. This is a thrilling issue from a Quartet clearly worth watching for more than their contemporary, crossover charms, and it deserves every success.’ Christopher Webber – The Sir Arnold Bax website

'This can certainly be compared favourably to recordings by better known quartets. Their tone is full and rounded, with impeccable intonation throughout. Equally delightful is their understanding of the composer's myriad tempo markings which are observed so naturally and seemingly
spontaneously that the work unfolds in all its autumnal glory. I enjoyed this enormously, and I feel sure that the stature of the quartet has been enhanced by this new recording. Strongly recommended.' - Barry Collett, The Elgar Society Journal, July 2008

‘Exceptionally talented’ - BBC Music Magazine

‘A sparkling performance’ - Sean Rafferty, BBC Radio 3

‘An ensemble of real depth and musical distinction.’ - Classic FM Magazine

‘Four finer musicians you could not come across’ - Henry Kelly, Classic FM

‘The smooth-toned Pavao’ - The Guardian

‘I hope the Pavão continue to wow!’ - Elaine Paige

‘A sound to melt the heart. I love it!’ - Aled Jones

A truly fabulous disc! A real must-have! A record of the year. I think you understand me.’ - MusicWeb

‘The young and glamorous Pavao Quartet leave us in no doubt about their understanding of the personality of these two composers. The Pavaos deserve credit for championing Arnold Bax's first quartet - and it receives here a performance of sensitivity and conviction. Bax dedicated it to Elgar, so the latter composer's sole quartet makes a natural companion, especially in the Pavaos' refreshingly uninhibited performance.’ - The Financial Times

‘With a light, beautifully integrated sound, their account of Bax's First
Quartet is a real winner (try the sorrowful slow movement or the lively finale). They bring to the exactly contemporaneous Elgar (1918) a grace and emotional intensity that is quite the equal of other more established quartets' - Jeremy Nicholas – Classic FM Magazine (5 stars)

‘A dream of a string ensemble. Simply world class. Chamber music for a new century' - Desmond Carrington, BBC Radio 2

‘…the talented Pavão Quartet never resort to superficial gimmicks, offering playing that is extremely assured with a meticulous sense of ensemble.’ BBC Music Magazine

‘An ensemble of real depth and musical distinction. With a light, beautifully integrated sound, their account of Bax's First Quartet is a real winner (try the sorrowful slow movement or the lively finale). They bring to the exactly contemporaneous Elgar a grace and emotional intensity that is quite the equal of other more established quartets' - Classic FM Magazine

‘There’s plenty of energy, precision and clarity, with an impressive sense of lively rapport between four players.’ Stephen Johnson – BBC Music Magazine

…but it’s the music which truly matters, and musically, this disk is an unqualified success. A truly fabulous disk! A real must-have! A record of the year. I think you understand me.’ - Music Web International

‘You’ll be hearing more from this sassy young female string quartet. This new release fulfils all the promise of their first, Someone to Watch Over Me, a hit on Classic FM. From the lively opening bars of Bax’s String Quartet no 1, we are in the presence of an alert, accomplished ensemble. Their Bax is the most persuasive performance I’ve heard, warmly romantic in the slow movement and a riot of gutsy rhythm in the rondo. Elgar’s more enigmatic, melancholy work requires a mercurial response, and the Pavao, led with distinction by Kerenza Peacock, have all the necessary suppleness, every nuance lovingly handled. Impressive.’ - Ros Kavanagh, Saga Magazine

‘An ensemble that hasn’t forgotten how deeply sensual and emotionally liberating playing in a string quartet can be. The Pavao could hardly have chosen two more interpretatively challenging works for its classical debut album, yet the players sound as completely at home in early Bax as they do in late Elgar. Whatever the emotional upheavals in his personal life, the quartet is one of the most blissfully contented works Bax ever penned…the Pavao relishes this underrated score with an intoxicating warmth and emotional spontaneity that is irresistible.
The Elgar has enjoyed a distinguished recording history...yet once again the Pavao Quartet’s affectionate detailing of the works expressive undercurrents proves highly persuasive. This luxuriously engineered disc projects the ensemble’s velvet-toned, beguilingly responsive playing to perfection.’ Julian Haylock – The Strad Magazine