Laurie CarneyString Quartet
Acclaim & Reviews
Accolades from around the world
A Quartet Engraved in Eternity
The finesse, the thoughtfulness and depth of the performance could not be surpassed.
The ASQ — with the same high level at each stand — played the Ravel with almost classic symmetry, beautiful and full of magical colors, and the result was a tender joy that united the musicians and the audience.
Even by European standards, they are perfect.
From this combination of individual brilliance and ensemble perfection emerges one of the best quartets of our time.
The Americans again demonstrated their natural, mature artistry, acquired with decades of experience.
Americans certainly, but with a refined European style
It was almost like acrobatics that was asked of the four string players in Berg’s Lyric Suite.… the expressiveness of the fascinating interpretation can only be called sensational.
Luxurious, beautifully sculptured performances
The American String Quartet’s program was, simply put, a comprehensive display of ensemble mastery, of passion, precision and interpretive smarts in near perfect synchrony.
As straightforward and genuine as their name would imply, they reflect… the best of American attainments, technical brilliance and intellectual savvy, propelled by optimistic energy and artistic vitality.
The players embraced the pieces as they would old friends, performing with precision, eloquence and subtlety.
The Quartet seemed to be as totally enchanted by making music as they must have been as students. Their playing was crisp, the textures pristine and clear, the interpretations fresh and engaging, and the emotional impact intense and lasting.
The program was played as skillfully as it was constructed, with a finely calculated ensemble sound in which each player showed considerable individuality but all blended their strengths into a fine balance.
The artistry of this group was unmistakable: their singing tone had an almost magical warmth.
It’s the music that stars.… There is something even more stimulating and in the end, more satisfying about a group that chooses to make the music the star.… This is an ensemble that functions so seamlessly that the glories of the music at hand take on more immediate importance than the players.
Because of their assured rapport, flawless balance and unity of style, they play together with a sense of ease that lets each piece of music unfold like a living organism.
The ensemble’s togetherness of spirit in assertive as in gentle passages struck me as almost miraculous.
Their unanimity of spirit and genuinely felt personal expression speak straight to the heart.
The superb American String Quartet, whose members were on the jury, gave half a recital — their profound Haydn Op. 77 No. 2 was alone worth coming to Bordeaux for.
The finest quartet based in New York
If you are going to call yourself the American String Quartet, you need to be able to live up to your name.… I cannot think of another U.S. ensemble capable of making recordings as sustainedly stylish and beautiful as these.
String quartet recordings don’t get much better than this.
