“Proceedings began impressively with an intensely rapt and refined reading of Felix Mendelssohn’s String Quartet No.2 in A minor (1827)…..

In Phibbs’ new Piano Quintet, Noriko Ogawa and the Piattis brought heartfelt commitment and an improvisatory freshness to material tailor-made for their musicianship. It is hard to imagine this rewarding and indispensable addition to the chamber music repertoire being shaped and illuminated by more persuasive or impeccable advocates.

After the interval, the Piattis presented a deeply felt and precisely articulated performance of the String Quartet No.1 in C minor by Brahms.  There was fervour and warmth as well as power and energy in the outer Allegros, while the Romanze second movement was invested with wistful lyricism and the following intermezzo-like movement had a shadowy allure. The performance of the Brahms work was dedicated by the players to the late Günter Pichler,

As a welcome encore, the players chose the Cantilena from Joseph Phibbs’s String Quartet No.4, which was written for them in 2024…..cast a spell over the audience and set the seal on an evening’s music-making of the highest order.”

Paul Conway, Seen and Heard International, May 2026