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Memorable Concert " Translation of excertps: “The auditorium is large – four hundred seats – but was already almost full and more people were arriving. […] Known to me were Stravinsky and Webern; unexpected were two living composers, about whom I know nothing, the British Judith Weir and the Danish Per Norgard. […] We applauded until our hands hurt. We applauded works we already knew, we applauded old works that sounded new and we applauded works that we did not know and that this therefore opens doors to future discoveries. I don’t know if other newspapers picked up on this memorable concert.” " - , El Pais. 15.03.2008
Vertavo Quartet "“The Three Pieces of Stravinsky were written in 1914, and for their time, they were certainly revolutionary. From the opening bars, I realized that the Vertavo Quartet knew this material not only intimately, but actually identified with it. They knew exactly how to adapt to the character of each piece. The irony of the second contrasted with the calm of the first one, and the dynamic play between pp and ppp in the third one exceeded all sonorous expectations. Absolute genius!” […] “The first part of the program finished with the “Five Pieces for String Quartet” of Anton Webern, a work that every string quartet has in its repertoire and which shows the best of pre-First World War German/Austrian expressionism. The interpretation was simply perfect. This time Miss Volle assumed the role of first violin, having been second violin in previous works. Following piano-pianissimos in the first piece, the end of the second blurs literally to nothing; then comes the incredible precision of the third, technically very exacting and whose brief ‘stretto’ closing bars was touched with a boldness just as strong as that of male quartets. Outstanding! […] There was an atmosphere of affectionate sensibility in the last piece, heralding a very long silence from the audience, before they released their applause. Simply overwhelming!” […] “We heard an impressive interpretation of this music [Norgard], touched with conviction and with enormous attention to detail. Loud and sustained applause rewarded the work of these four mature women, who had to come back on stage four times.” […] “I must confess that I had never heard of this quartet, without doubt the best female string quartet in the world. I would be interested to hear them play something classical or romantic. Let’s see when they return.” " - , Mundoclásico. 10.03.2008
Tones that brew spirit of Northern Europe "The Vertavo String Quartet is an ensemble formed by four women from Norway. Decades ago, it was most common for members of string quartets to be men. While hearing their music, I had an impression that they inherit the best part of string quartet groups’ tradition rather than being against it (men’s world).(December 9, The Phoenix Hall, Osaka) Their style is to build up the sound from the low notes as the basis; and there is no showy solo instrument-like performance by the first violin. Their ensemble making is very delicate, and their tone, as well as the timing of melody passing with each other, is very natural. They seem to have a single mind as a whole, and they do not become unstuck, even though they display an extreme rang of dynamics in tempi and sound volume. They are a group of the highest order; equipped with all the qualities that the best quartets should have. The first piece was Grieg’s unfinished string quartet. With the Vertavos’ elaborate playing, I found this piece very fresh and ingenious, and I just wondered why he did not finish the piece. The next work was Beethoven string quartet No. 10 “Harp.” They had very flexible tempi as if they sometimes stopped and suddenly started running. And they vividly displayed the charm of the “Harp” which was composed in between the robust quartets of the “Rasmovsky” series (No. 7, 8 and 9) and a group of Beethoven’s later quartets. Their selection of this piece for the programme was very successful. After the intermission, they played Grieg’s string quartet g-minor. Many inventive elements of this piece such as dramatic expression, simple patriotic spirit, sweet and fresh melodies and other elements were emphasised. From my travel experience in northern European countries, I found in restaurants that their services were unfussy and there was no extra politeness in their way of serving. However, I felt very satisfied with the fact that they do their job well without scrimping on the most essential part of their work. The quartet’s playing evoked such memories, and I left the concert hall happily with a pleasant feeling. " - Nobuhiro Ito, Asahi Evening newspaper. 14.de.2007
Quartet's work fresh, lively "The Chamber Music Society of Salt Lake City welcomed the Vertavo String Quartet last Thursday night in a program that featured music by Grieg, Bartok and Mozart. The foursome — violinist Oyvor Volle, violinist Berit Cardas, violist Henninge Landaas and cellist Bjorg Lewis — presented a fresh, lively, interesting concert. Each of the three pieces they played had a distinct personality, and in addition, the Vertavo foursome added a recognizable and distinct personality of their own to all of the music. It first came through on Mozart's String Quartet in D Major, K.575 — a fresh, clean, light approach to the music. They have a sense of synthesis that comes of playing together for so long and so frequently, and a young energy that renders their highly polished sound to be elegant without being stuffy. The Mozart quartet came out light and airy, at times delicate, and even sweet at other times. Their quartet's personality and the Bartok String Quartet No. 3 turned out to be a great match, especially the way their clean playing really delineated the various textures in the music. It also meant that some of the more raw, harsh passages were quite pretty (rather than raw and harsh-sounding), but they played with such conviction and energy that their take on it was really very convincing. The program ended with Grieg's String Quartet in G Minor. Here, the quartet turned its energy to a more passionate, romantic vein in this charming work. It was an especially appropriate selection, both because this year marks the 100th anniversary of Grieg's death, and the quartet is Norwegian. " - Rebecca C Howard, Deseret Morning News, Salt Lake City. 27.01.2007
Acclaimed Norwegian string quartet lives up to its lofty reputation "Considered a national treasure in its native land and the 2005 winner of the Grieg Prize, Norway's highest musical honor, the Vertavo String Quartet proved the accolades are deserved in its Seattle debut Wednesday night at Meany Hall. The first three notes, first the violins, then viola, then cello, were so beautiful as to capture instant undivided attention from a UW World Series audience that remained unusually hushed during the performances. Four women founded the Vertavo in 1984, and their playing reflects the long relationship in their telepathic communication and superb ensemble work, but what sets them apart is the variety of expression they elicit from their instruments. Opening with Mozart's Quartet in D major, K. 575, they played with light, clear elegance, articulation was crisp where needed, and deliciously smooth elsewhere. Never playing at extreme dynamics, the Vertavo could float an exquisite softness that sang like distant bells. Turning to Bartok's Fourth Quartet, the two violinists changed places, and the Norwegians dug into the gritty first movement with raucous chords, urgent vitality and duller, harsher tone. However, they used this tone only as one of many colors throughout. The second movement was a marvel of light, scurrying notes, like dancing bees, and the exciting fourth with its strummed, snapped and plucked notes, all played without bows, sounded like one person with eight hands. Bartok can sound unremittingly dissonant, in-your-face and harsh. This performance was more kaleidoscopic in color, phrasing and dynamic, like a freshly restored painting in which all sorts of felicitous detail are newly revealed. Lastly, the players changed gears again, to full-bodied romantic angst in Grieg's Quartet in G major, probably as definitive a performance of Grieg as one could hope to hear. From the lyricism of the first movement to the impish yet serious tone of the second, the fast, light, dancing vigo the fourth, this was a performance to treasure. The whole concert was treasurable, the musicianship impeccable, and over all shonethe extraordinary beauty of Vertavo player's tone. May the quartet return, soon and often." - Philippa Kiraly, Seattle Post Intelligencer. 26.01.2007
Friends of chamber music " After a two months' hiatus, the Friends of Chamber Music's 2006-07 season has at last revived, chasing away the winter blues with a sparkling performance of a challenging and diverse repertoire by Oslo's all-women Vertavo Quartet. The varied programme, ranging from Mozart to the Modern to the Post-Romantic, gave the group (established in 1984) ample opportunity to demonstrate the full range of its technical and interpretive skills. And these proved to be of a dizzyingly high order. Bartók's five-movement Quartet No. 4 was the evening's technical Everest, while Grieg, played with special authority by these Norwegians, proved to be its vivid emotional centre. Mozart's "Hunt" Quartet," with its chirpy opening movement and closing with an appeal to homey, domestic themes stood in ably for the warm-up. From the outset, the Vertavo showed off an "open" sound with a rich finish, working its way through the music with flair. Self-assured playing in the signally charming Allegro vivace first movement set a benchmark, with the stately and straight laced Menuetto, with its touches of wry humour, also given an elegant reading. The Adagio, dark but not sombre, drew out delicately nuanced playing: The contrasting Allegro assai close, of playful character colliding with extreme solemnity, positively glowed. The plunge into Bartók's soundscape came so suddenly as to be almost disconcerting, the angry and impassioned opening announcing that demands for players and listeners were to come. An exploration of the Modernist palette, this brittle, edgy work is characterized by unremitting restlessness, and the Vertavo's execution rose to the large challenges of the writing. Easily running through the rapid shifts of dynamics and tempi, the Vertavo showed off its complete mastery of Modernist idiom. The Prestissimo movement, a technical tour de force, was, as it were, a Dali painting set to music, whilst the Allegro pizzicato demanded the precision of a Rolex. Harsh, thrilling and dark, this immensely appealing work came to a brilliant close in fragments and sighs. After the very welcome intermission, the Quartet went on to show off its credentials in the Late Romantic repertoire with Grieg's intensely lyrical Quartet No. 1. Soulful and with moments of haunting beauty, this work of melodic inspiration received a singularly compelling reading, its Nordic soul warm and plangent. The Quartet brilliantly brought out the work's almost symphonic yearnings, and captured, with conviction, the piece's singing character. With dizzying shifts in dynamics and an emphasis on sharp contrasts, this in its own fashion was as challenging as the riotous Bartók that had preceded it. The Vertavo's choice of repertoire, fine rendering of it, and elegant, smooth playing conquered from the opening notes. This was ultimately an evening less emphasizing the shazamm factor, though it was surely present, than of a cozy and comforting curl up-in front of a warm, glowing fire: smouldering intensity was the order of the night. " - J H Stape, Vancouver Post. 25.01.2007
Norway quartet delivers beauty "The excellent Vertavo String Quartet of Norway brought some old and new music from home, along with Franz Schubert's "Death and the Maiden," to the San Antonio Chamber Music Society on Sunday in Temple Beth-El. The Norwegian composers were Edvard Grieg (of course), represented by his Quartet in G minor, and Nils Henrik Asheim, whose "Broken Line" of 2004 proved an enterprising and fascinating work. Though it is only about 8 minutes long and generally spare in texture, "Broken Line" has a lot of music in it. The mood shifts often and quickly between tough modernist skittering and richly chorded passages, with terse, rather sad solo statements woven in. The drama is partly in the developing tension between these ideas and partly in Asheim's very sophisticated way of maintaining a connection with certain procedures of traditional tonal harmony while still sounding strikingly modern and free. The piece was composed for the Vertavo, which performed it beautifully. Grieg's quartet of 1877 is a serious and fairly conservative work, very much of its time. It is attractive for its lyricism and for the third movement's evocation of energetic folk dance. But mostly it was a fine vehicle for the emphatic diction, beautiful vibrato and insinuating phrasing of violinist Berit Cardas. The Vertavo took a fresh, desentimentalized approach to Schubert's D Minor Quartet, one of the landmarks of the romantic literature. Phrasing was somewhat clipped, and intensity was limited, but with no loss of beauty. Special notice goes to Lewis' wonderfully transparent cello tone in her variation in the slow movement. One might have wished for a more probing and personal performance at times, but the Vertavo's cooler approach had the virtue of clarity, and it reminded us that Schubert was not just a man of passion, but of musical intellect as well. " - Mike Greenberg, San Antonio News. 22.01.2007
Vertavo Quartet "Classical Vertavo Quartet Crucible Studio, Sheffield David Denton Having followed the career of the young Norwegians since they walked away with every prize on offer at the Melbourne competition a decade ago, their long overdue first visit to Sheffield confirms the Vertavo's status among today's top five string quartets. Their playing is so unfussy and devoid of showmanship, but is blessed with the most perfect technique and faultless intonation. They are an impeccable ensemble with inner transparency and, above all, the desire to be part of a team. The performance of Mendelssohn's E minor Quartet was a mix of refined elegance and impish good humour that sped along at ideally chosen speeds, the slow movement a passage of idyllic repose. They were joined in Schumann's Piano Quartet by Charles Owen, the foursome negotiating the Studio's problematic balance whenever a keyboard is involved, for this is a score requiring the pianist to never dominate. That it was successfully achieved was very much due to the virile string tone. " - David Denton, Yorkshire Post. 31.05.2006
Four Stars, Crucible Studio, Sheffield "-Add a selection of guest artists and the possibilities seem endless - one particular highlight saw the string section doubled by the Vertavo Quartet for a reading of Mendelssohn's Octet so heated that leader Oyvor Volle needed to fan herself with her score between movements-" - Alfred Hickling, Guardian. 18.05.2006
Ekstatischer Sog der Musik mit schwelgender Dynamik "From the very first bar, the listener was drawn in and carried along by the energy that the Vertavo Quartet invested in every phrase. In the end, in canonical succession, the ensemble ushered in a finale whose tempestuous saltarello was just like a firework display. The four Norwegians wrested an enormous amount of subtlest detail from the pieces through their powerful playing, simultaneously as sensitive and as finely wrought as a spider's web, capable of switching immediately from hammering fortissimo to whispering piano(...) They played with an extraordinary degree of inner tension that gripped the audience throughout." - Rolf-Peter Diehl, Cellesche Zeitung. 23.09.2005
Make music truly magical "Sometimes theree minutes are enough to make an audience grateful; grateful for experiencing something so joyful. This is exactly what happened at the performance of the entirely female Vertavo Quartet in the Curio-Haus: in the theree-minute melancholic Sarabande by Anatoly Liadow, these charismatic Norwegians seemed to stroke each note tenderly with their bows. They made this somewhat light work sound like a masterpiece through their heartfelt and intense Legato and we wished that time could stop. But there was even more show of their profiency and ability of interpretation to come. With an almost drilling intensity, the musicians performed the sharp and squarely accentuated Ninth Quartet by Per Nörgård, which reminds one of Bartok´s rhytmical complexity. No less exciting was the second half, when they played Dvorak´s Quartet Op 106. Here, the Vertavos created fireworks with their tangible joy in playing: it is moments like these that make music truly magical." - , Hamburger Abenblatt. 01.03.2004
Royal Northern College of Music, Manchester "Norway's Vertavo Quartet are fast establishing themselves as one of the freshest and most versatile young quartets around. Their rock and jazz collaborations suggest parallels with the Kronos Quartet, and, like them, the Vertavo have a very distinctive sound. But what impresses most is the integrity and imagination they bring to their playing. Their programme was designed to allow each player more or less equal prominence, a democratic approach that extended to the first and second violins exchanging roles for one work. By and large, their shaken-but-not-stirred sound works extremely well, being subtly blended but not blandly homogeneous. It may be an extension of that approach that their playing seemed on the nervy side: suave sophistication is not their style. While this works for Janacek and Britten, for example, it does not sit so comfortably with Schubert. There cannot have been many performances of Schubert's Rosamunde Quartet as unremittingly dark as this one. Even the lyrical andante was played with a choked intensity that questioned its innocence, and the trio section of the menuetto was similarly oppressed - a strong rubato dispelling any illusion of security by shifting the ground from under its own feet. The troubled spirit of this work was close to the surface in a way that could appear extreme: when warmth and lyricism are constantly negated, poignancy is also lost. Overall, though, there was much to admire, and this was a performance with real vision. Textural refinement is at a premium in Britten's Second Quartet. Its spidery dialogues and ghostly colouring present considerable problems of balance and control, which were, in the main, overcome. While the nervous energy of the second movement seemed to play straight into the Vertavo's hands, the first movement's opening was delicately luminous, and the final chacony robust and assertive. But it was in Janacek's First Quartet that they came into their own. Based on Tolstoy's Kreutzer Sonata, the work oscillates between irrational violence and fragile tenderness. With phenomenal expressive flexibility, the Vertavo moved from warmest sensuality to knife-edge brittleness. The real revelation came at the end, where a sudden move to the major almost suggests a final uplift. It resonated with an anguished, insane hysteria that made a shattering impact. " - Pauline Fairclough, The Guardian. 28.02.2001
"But the Norwegians with their flair, their physicality and their communicative urgency, were the most compelling chamber ensemble I have heard in years" - Norman Lebrecht, The Daily Telegraph, London. 12.12.2000
"Bergen International Festival: …. Present, enormously together, the whole time mentally and musically on the edge: every tone, every phrase had this little extra kick and twist giving the music form and colour."" - Peter Larsen, Bergens Tidende. 02.06.2000
"London, Wigmore Hall: ... But the garlands must go to the Vertavo Quartet, an all-female ensemble from Norway. They threw themselves at the Bartók Fourth Quartet, taking its ferocious difficulties in their stride with a raw, primal force that immediately raised the hairs on the neck. The hall was crisp with expectation by the time they returned for Simpson’s Seventh, a slow-fast-slow arch-shape, its central outburst welling out of the contemplation of vast forces. The Vertavos gave it the most sheerly passionate performance of any Simpson work I have heard: it was nothing less than than thrilling." - Martin Anderson, The Independent. 14.04.2000
"All female, this Norwegian group just has to be the most glamorous in the business, fortunately making music of a quality, which dispels any mind wandering. They opened with a smiling account of Mozart´s G major quartet K387, sleekly turned, profound where necessary, and with not a little Viennese swagger elsewhere. Violinists swapped seats and the mood changed for the single movement Third Quartet by Vertavo compatriot Kjell Mörk Karlsen. Basically a sustained threnody until its measured treat stops like an extinguished heartbeat, resourcefully tonal and weiving an ornamental skein of anguished melodic lines, it drew a response of commited intensy from the performers.." - , The Birmingham Post. 01.11.1998
"...With artsistry such as this, the fate of chamber music is in good hands" - Chang Tou Liang, The Straits Times, Singapore. 06.10.1998
"Beyond doubt the highlight of the evening came when the Vertavo stepped onto stage.... It was an exhilarating performance which held the audience spellbound throughout... The Vertavo was the only quartet to have received a standing ovation - and that on two occasions" - Joy Fletscher, report on 2nd Melbourne International Chamber Music Comptetition. 20.07.1995
"Vertavo's performances are a wonderfull mixture of style, grace, power and humour... Their Beethoven ranged from timorous plaints in the Andante to a final movement driven by an infectious elan." - Martin Ball, The Australian. 15.07.1995
"The audience sat gobsmacked as the dying echo of Beethoven's Quartet in C sharp minor faded in the cavernous reaches of the Melbourne Concert Hall on Saturday night... When everyone came to, the audience reaction was over-the-top by Melbourne standards: people stood, people whistled, people shouted..." - Miriam Cosic, The Sydney Morning Herald, Australia. ..1995
"Again the eminent female group proved that it has status as one of the freshest phenomenon in Norwegian music life." - Yngvild Sørby, Dagbladet, Norway. ..1995
"A world class Norwegian string quartet" - Göteborgsposten, Gothenburg, Sweden. ..1995
"How do they possibly manage to draw the audience into their ban in such a way? During the small interruptions you would probably have heared the famous needle fall. (...) Everyones eyes where glued to the four young ladies, who seemed to set each other on fire on the stage, and everybody just waited for the next stroak of the bow, the next little wonder of interpretation" - Schwäbisches Tagblatt, Germany. ..1995