Eroica Quartet


Performance practice and 19th century editions

Mendelssohn’s friend, the violinist Ferdinand David (1810-73) was among the earliest to publish editions of standard repertoire. The trend which he began produced a great number of editions during the 19th century containing a wealth of information about performing styles and their editors. Many of these editions, however, are now out of print.

Today’s trend is away from editions coloured by big performing personalities, towards the often elusive ‘urtext’. But old editions remain as fascinating testament to the performance styles of artists from the pre-gramophone era. Seen in combination with the evidence of 19th century methods on string playing and early recordings, these editions present evidence which contradicts many modern assumptions about how 19th century music is performed. It is the attempt to rise to the challenge of this evidence which has coloured the Eroica Quartet’s approach.

19th century editions included information about vibrato, portamento (sliding between notes) and bowing styles. They often demonstrate certain profound differences from today’s performing styles. Portamento was used frequently, indicated by the instruction to use the same finger for successive slurred notes. Also, fingerings for even the most melodic phrases often include harmonics or open strings, showing little concern for continuous vibrato. Generally speaking, this is in contrast to today’s prevailing aesthetic. Continuous vibrato is now the norm for string players and portamento is used only reticently.

At some stage aesthetic priorities became reversed, rendering 19th century editions obsolete. Furthermore, without understanding 19th century bowing habits, old editions can leave modern players stranded at the wrong end of the bow. The tendency was to articulate with the bow kept on the string in the upper half, rather than letting it bounce towards the heel.

The question that remains is, when did modern styles of playing replace this 19th century style? It is widely assumed that during the 19th century the modern style evolved steadily and ‘progressively’. However, scholars such as Clive Brown have pointed to evidence from editions, methods and early recordings which directly challenge modern assumptions about performance of music from Beethoven’s first quartets to Debussy’s. The influence of the early 19th century approach to vibrato, portamento and bowing styles remained largely intact until the 1920s and Kreisler’s generation. Rather than a century of evolution, there was a watershed which occurred much later than many have assumed. In 1921, for example, Leopold Auer made a plea for the selective use of vibrato which would not seem out of place in the Paris Conservatoire Method e of 1803. He lamented the continuous vibrato of his pupils, among whom was Heifetz – who has come to epitomize modern style. Similarly with portamento, recordings of artists including Joachim, Auer, Klengel and the Klingler and Rose Quartets, demonstrate an approach which, on first hearing, sounds astonishingly foreign. Yet, as Manuel Garcia had recommended in his 1847 Treatise on singing, Adelina Patti (1843-1919) and other great singers of her day can be heard on CD making exquisite, varied and, most importantly, uninhibited use of portamento. In matters of taste, string players have always been encourage to emulate singers. Heard in this context the playing of the generation before Kreisler is truly vocal.

The demand for new editions of 19th century repertoire tacitly acknowledges that 19th century editions illustrate a sea change in taste. The words of JP Hartley – ‘the past is another country, they do things differently there’ – are as relevant to the music of the 19th century as to any other. Although some resent ‘the march of authenticity’ into the 19th century, more people are finding inspiration in early recordings and piano rolls of artists long dead. These artists – pupils of Liszt, friends of Brahms – were totally unencumbered by the modern fear of straying away from the smallest details of the composer’s intentions. In this distant crackly world the ‘spirit’ rules, not the ‘letter’. No phrase appears twice in the same guise. No aspect of rhythm, from the smallest motif to the longest movement, is forced into metric conformity. The same search for lost performing traditions that has revitalized Baroque music, can inform our approach to the music of the Romantics. Editions made by performers of the composer’s era, as much as methods and early recordings, have profoundly affected the Eroica Quartet’s approach to 19th century music, but they are only a starting point. Performers are beginning to turn back to musty old editions not to follow them slavishly, but for fresh insight.

Peter Hanson - Violin
'The Hanson String Quartet was formed in the early 1980’s, gave regular BBC broadcasts, toured extensively and made several recordings. After the quartet gave its last concert at St. John’s Smith Square, recorded by the BBC, Peter Hanson became fascinated with period instrument performance. He was invited to lead the English Concert by Trevor Pinnock and a year later he was travelling the world playing the baroque repertoire. He also led for Roger Norrington and the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment, playing romantic repertoire. Soon a vision of a new quartet emerged; the Eroica Quartet was formed with colleagues from the world of period instrument performance.

As well as working with the quartet, he now leads Sir John Eliot Gardiner’s Orchestre Revolutionaire et Romantique. This orchestra had a residency at the Chatelet Theatre in Paris culminating in the historic performance of ‘Les Troyens’ by Berlioz. The orchestra was used in the BBC television costume drama called 'Eroica', shown on BBC 2 in October 2003. As leader he both played and acted in this film.

He has been invited as guest-leader with the Hall矏rchestra, the Scottish Chamber Orchestra, and the Philharmonia Orchestra conducted by Rostropovich. He now travels abroad to lead the Mahler Chamber Orchestra, Les Musiciens du Louvre with Marc Minkowski, L'Orchestre des Champs-Elys褳 and a new french orchestra, La Chambre Philharmonique, which is a period instrument group specialising in classical and romantic repertoire. In April 2005, he completed a tour of Europe as guest-leader of the London Symphony Orchestra.

The Eroica quartet gave a Wigmore Hall recital in September 2003, and travelled to Spain to play all the Mendelssohn quartets in three concerts in Vigo. In May 2005, Harmonia Mundi released their 3rd CD of the Mendelssohn quartets, which was in memory of Lucy Howard, their 2nd violinist who tragically died in September 2004. Julia Hanson, his sister, is now playing with the quartet.

He has been teaching at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama now for 5 years.

In September 2005 he toured as guest leader with the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment, as well as working with John Eliot Gardiner. In 2006 he has been leading for Daniel Harding and the Mahler Chamber Orchestra playing Beethoven and Sibelius Symphonies. In Sept 2006, he was invited to lead and instruct the Shanghai Opera orchestra in a unique performance of the Messiah in Shanghai.

Vicci - Violin
Vicci Wardman is principal viola of the Philharmonia Orchestra, a position she has held since 2001. Whilst at the Royal Northern College of Music as a multi award-winning student, Vicci was a founder member of the Sorrel Quartet which made its debut in 1987. A year earlier, she was a string finalist in BBC TV’s ‘Young Musician of the Year’ competition. The Sorrel Quartet went on to make many prize-winning recordings with the Chandos label and Vicci enjoyed a busy international career as part of the group. Since joining the Philharmonia, Vicci has performed with many of the world’s great conductors and soloists, and has appeared as soloist with the orchestra herself. She regularly performs as guest principal in a variety of other orchestras, such as the English Chamber Orchestra, Orchestre Revolutionaire et Romantique, the BBC Welsh, the London Philharmonic and Oslo Philharmonic orchestras.

As an experienced chamber musician, Vicci has travelled internationally as part of Hausmusik, London and the Nash Ensemble. She is currently a member of the soloists of the Philharmonia and, most recently, a member of the critically acclaimed Eroica Quartet. Vicci is also busy as a session musician and can be heard, as soloist, on several film and TV sound tracks. Vicci gives regular classes at the Royal College of Music and the Royal Academy of Music and teaches privately at her home in London.

Julia Hanson - Violin
Julia Hanson began playing the violin at the age of 7 and studied with Eta Cohen and Malcolm Layfield. She attended Chethams School of music followed by the Royal Northern College of Music where she led the chamber orchestra and was a member of the Chagall String Quartet with whom she traveled abroad to represent the college and appeared in a series of televised master classes with Peter Cropper of the Lindsay String Quartet. She was awarded the string prize and quartet prizes during her time at the college.

Since finishing her studies Julia has been freelancing around the country. She works with many orchestras including the City of Birmingham Symphony, Northern Sinfonia, Scottish Chamber Orchestra, BBC Philharmonic, Goldberg Ensemble, Orchestra Revolutionaire et Romantique, and the English Concert. She has led the Orchestra of the Golden Age and has been a guest principal for the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra and the Halle Orchestra. Julia is currently a member of the Northern Chamber Orchestra and is a principal player with Manchester Camerata. She also plays with the contemporary group Psappha. In 2006 she joined the Eroica String Quartet with her brother. She lives in Manchester with her husband and two children.

David Watkin - Cello
David Watkin was both an Instrumental Award holder and a Choral Scholar at St Catharine's College Cambridge, where he read Music whilst also studying the cello with William Pleeth and singing with Kenneth Bowen. He has made a wide range of recordings including the Vivaldi Cello Sonatas with the King's Consort (Hyperion) and Haydn's Sinfonia Concertante with Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment (Virgin). He directed OAE for a Vivaldi Cello Concerto recording (Linn). With pianist Howard Moody he has recorded Beethoven Cello Sonatas (Chandos) and Francis Pott's 1996 Sonata (Guild).They have broadcast regularly on BBC Radio 3 and performed the complete works for piano and cello by Beethoven at Wigmore Hall.

Few other musicians have achieved prominence at the highest level in both 'period instrument' and 'modern' worlds. David Watkin is Principal Cello of the English Baroque Soloists, Orchestre Revolutionnaire et Romantique and OAE, and was Principal Cello of the Philharmonia Orchestra for five years before joining the Scottish Chamber Orchestra.

David has revived the eighteenth-century practice of realising figured bass (improvising chordal accompaniments) on the cello and used it in many recordings including Corelli's Op 5 Sonatas (with John Holloway Novalis and Andrew Manze hmusa) and with Sir Charles Mackerras in Mozart's Clemenza di Tito with SCO and Cosi with OAE. He has published an article about this in Early Music and also written about performance practice for Cambridge University Press and The Strad. Unaccompanied Bach has taken him all over Europe, from the Palace of Frederick the Great at Potsdam to the Prague Spring Festival, and, as part of Sir John Eliot Gardiner's Bach Cantata Pilgrimage, included performances sitting by the font in which Bach was baptised.

He has been a soloist with OAE at Queen Elizabeth Hall and Carnegie Hall, New York and performed the Schumann Concerto with Sir John Eliot Gardiner and ORR at the Lincoln Center, New York, and recently with the SCO. He has been a guest artist with, among others, Robert Levin, Fredericka von Stade, and the Tokyo Quartet. He has given talks and classes and coached at conservatoires all over Europe. He has studied conducting with George Hurst and Jorma Panula, and been nominated for the Arts Foundation Award for conducting. He works increasingly as a conductor including performances of Bach Cantatas with students invited from the combined Colleges at South Creake, and a programme of Bach and Handel with Linden Baroque. He has been invited by Opera de Paris to work as Assistant Conductor on a Handel Opera project. In 2006 he assisted Sir Roger Norrington prepare the Royal Academy of Music students for a performance of Mozart’s Requiem. He returns there this year to conduct a Mendelssohn programme. In March 2008 he directs the SCO in symphonies by Mozart and CPE Bach in Edinburgh, Glasgow, the Barbican, London, Konzerthaus, Vienna, Bregenz, and Palais des Beaux Arts, Brussels. He was recently invited back to direct them in a Vivaldi Concerto and Bach’s Brandenburg Concerto no 3 at City of London and St Magnus Festivals and on BBC Radio 3. Future engagements include Swedish Baroque Orchestra.