Our cycles have begun! First programme - Opus 18,5, Opus 59,1, Opus 131
Our first venue was the Sheldonian Theatre in Oxford. Beautiful acoustics and a thrilling venue to be in for our very first concert! Was great to meet some of the audience afterwards, please come and say hello.
We then travelled north to Cumbria. Our series here is associated with the Rosehill Theatre where we have enjoyed many visits in the past. As the theatre is in renovation our concerts will be in a different venues of interest or beauty within Cumbria. We started in Muncaster Castle in an atmospheric and intimate performance space within this old castle. 
Next was Southampton. We are beginning an official residency here after being regular visitors over the last few years. It has fantastic sound and a personal atmosphere due to the warm receptive audience (and the raked seating helps too I think!). We also had a great post concert talk/chat that could’ve gone on for hours… Hope to repeat it every time?!
We didn’t have to travel far for the next night as we were in Reading. This was a new venue for us and it is a beautiful hall with fantastic acoustics. Looking forward to our return. Great to see so many young people in the audience.
We then continued on to Tonbridge and Norwich which I will save for round 2! Tomorrow we are in Bristol and that will conclude our first run of Programme 1. We will next be playing it in the Brighton festival, 20th May 2013.
I have loved these concerts and playing an all Beethoven programme more than I ever could have imagined. Thanks to all who have listened and welcomed us.
The concert at Muncaster was a quite wonderful occasion. A beautiful venue and intense, eloquent music making. The programme revealed Beethoven’s development as a composer of the string quartet. The opus 131 performance was outstanding in its clarity and emotional depth. What a beginning. Roll on recital number 2.