Emerson String Quartet, Queen Elizabeth Hall | reviews, news & interviews
Emerson String Quartet, Queen Elizabeth Hall
Emerson String Quartet, Queen Elizabeth Hall
Many a visceral thrill from the legendary New Yorkers
Friday, 08 April 2011
(Right to left) Steve Buscemi, Steve Martin, Laurel and Hardy, otherwise known as the Emerson String Quartet
Could you get a more American string quartet than the Emersons? They dress like Yanks. They play like Yanks. They're even shaped like Yanks. There's Steve Martin on viola, Steve Buscemi on cello, Laurel and Hardy on violins. The night started in true Stateside fashion, an announcer indicating the Emersons would be conducting a Q&A session from the stage after the concert. I can't imagine anyone took them up on the offer. Because, for all the trials and tribulations of their recital last night at the Queen Elizabeth Hall (some good, some bad), this wasn't a performance that needed explaining.
Could you get a more American string quartet than the Emersons? They dress like Yanks. They play like Yanks. They're even shaped like Yanks. There's Steve Martin on viola, Steve Buscemi on cello, Laurel and Hardy on violins. The night started in true Stateside fashion, an announcer indicating the Emersons would be conducting a Q&A session from the stage after the concert. I can't imagine anyone took them up on the offer. Because, for all the trials and tribulations of their recital last night at the Queen Elizabeth Hall (some good, some bad), this wasn't a performance that needed explaining.
Choppiness and instability from pros like these has its visceral thrills
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