The Rasumovsky String Quartet

The Rasumovsky String Quartet, founded in 1984, derives its name from the Russian Ambassador in Vienna in the early 19th Century. As an amateur violinist Count Andrey Kyrillovich Rasumovsky was sufficiently skilled to persuade Haydn to coach his house quartet. He commissioned Beethoven to write a set of three quartets, which appeared as op.59 in 1806. These masterly works, so much in advance of their time both in concept and technical difficulty, may well have proved too hard for the dedicatee to play, but their reputation has kept Rasumovsky's name before music lovers ever since.

It follows that establishing all Beethoven's 17 Quartets in performance was an early priority for this ensemble, but the large repertoire of the last twenty years covers a wide range – from contemporary British quartets to early classics played with transitional bows and gut strings.

The roots of the Rassumovsky Quartet reach back beyond their formation in 1984 through friendships and shared musical experiences. The style of the Quartet is traditional by choice, seeking to find the varied tone colours and generally moderate pace of previous generations of chamber music players

FRANCES MASON has won prizes at several international violin competitions, including the Carl Flesch and National Federation of Music Societies' Award. She studied at the Royal College of Music with Alan Loveday and as a child was taught by Albert Sammons. As well as appearing as soloist at the Promenade Concerts and throughout the country she has been involved with several chamber ensembles (such as Olive Zorian's Quartet and the Dartington Piano Trio) and has performed around the world when leading the Music Group of London.

Gregory Wareen Wilson was born in England but spent much of his childhood in Australia. He trained at the Royal Ballet School for six years before studying at the Royal College of Musci with Frances Mason. After working with the Hong Kong Philharmonic for one year and at the Opera House in Florence for two, he returend to London and joined the Rasumovsky Quartet. Since then he has enjoyed a freelance career, performing with a wide avriety of Chamber ensemble and chamber orchestra, touring internationally and recording contemporary and classical music with them. He has also published three collections of poetry.
 

CHRISTOPHER WELLINGTON, first ever Principal Viola of the National Youth Orchestra, won 1st class honours in Music at Oxford and studied viola with Frederick Riddle and Keith Cummings. In a varied career he has appeared at the Queen Elizabeth Hall as soloist on viola and viola d'amore, played as Principal with the Philharmonia Orchestra and several chamber orchestras, taught at the Royal College of Music and Trinity College (and briefly in Beijing and Shanghai) and has been the viola player of the Zorian and Amici Quartets, the Music Group of London and the string trio Tre Corde.

Christina Shillito studied with Florence Hooton at the Royal Academy of Music, where she won all the major prizes, including the Suggia Award and Moir Carnegie Recital prize. Early in her career she became Co-Principal cellist of the London Philharmonic Orchestra and subsequently Guest Principal with the BBC Symphony and BBC Philharmonic Orchestra. Later she led the cellos in the Wren Orchestra and Docklands Sinfonietta, with whom she was the soloist in the Kabalevsky Concerto at St. John's Smith Square in 1993. She is an experienced recital and ensemble cellist

The Rasumovsky Quartet on Guild Music

• GMCD 7280/81 Padre Soler - Six Organ Quintets

Page revised Friday February 09 2007