Acclaim
“A stupendous reading of Ligeti’s First String Quartet.... Hungarian composers definitely are a strong suit for this quartet. The repertoire includes the widely praised readings of Béla Bartók’s string quartets. This particular Ligeti work, with its definite homage to Bartók, is not too far from the degree of fiendish difficulty of the Solo Viola Sonata. Part of the work’s challenge is to liberate the playing from a formalistic classical style. Ligeti marks the score frequently with indications of theatrical, painful and sweet expressions. The Hungarian/Magyar musical character is as ferocious, dramatic, sarcastic, volcanic and sensuous as the culture of its people. And, Fry Street brought all of these elements to its performance. Brahms’ String Quintet in G major, op. 111…is brewed with bucolic revelry and it shimmers in muscular energy. True to form, the ensemble delivered the full musical punch without exaggerating the eloquent natural gifts of Brahm’s late-period writing.”
The Utah Review >
“The utmost clarity of technical execution and emotional expression… Among the most impressive aspects was the outstanding balance of the four string voices, not an easy task in the G.W. Anderson Family Hall at the Utah Museum of Fine Arts. Part of it perhaps was due to having a sold-out audience capacity. Fry Street Quartet finely juxtaposed the works in two halves that refocus our perspectives for appreciating the works of two composers who share more in terms of their creative expressionistic impulses than the separation of two centuries might indicate. The first half conveyed the emotional, sobering wisdom of life, transformed by experience and accumulated knowledge. In Mozart’s Adagio and Fugue in C minor, K. 546, the quartet expressed convincingly the contrasts of the opening section with its grave, severe angular pulses and later softer lyrical textures. The most impressive part, though, came in the fugue, where each of the voices remained clear as ever, despite the growing thickness and density of the fugue. Just as masterful was the rendering of Britten’s Third String Quartet (1975). In this final work of Britten’s life, the emotions are shaded in complex ways, sometimes seeming affirmed and satisfied and others wistful or even ambiguous about the approaching end of his life. The Fry Street Quartet produced a truly moving, often mesmerizing, tribute to this incredible piece. The intriguing part of the second half was how the quartet reversed the conventional programming path. Normally, the concert opens on the brighter landscape to entice and settle the listener into the challenges of absorbing more intense sonic experiences later in the program. Here, it was reversed and the second half sparkled. Charming, playful and technically exciting, Britten’s Three Divertimenti make a convincing case for matching Britten’s young genius capacities to that of Mozart, a composer whom he adored and considered seriously as a model to emulate. The Fry Street Quartet lifted this youthful work with astonishing authenticity of ebullience. The closing work, Mozart’s String Quartet No. 14 in G major, K. 387 (also known as the Spring Quartet), showcased the ensemble’s assiduousness for superb execution to magnify the contextual connection of this piece to Britten’s Three Divertimenti. The Spring Quartet is a marvelous but difficult piece to achieve the right effect… Fry Street Quartet delivered the results with resounding impact in the venue.”
The Utah Review >
“Laura Kaminsky’s mostly luminous score elicits a radiant performance from the six performers… The Fry Street Quartet accompany with elegance and subtlety. A remarkable achievement.”
Gramophone Magazine >
“The Fry Street Quartet, expertly conducted by Steven Osgood, plays flawlessly. The instrumentalists even pitch in with spoken lines and a carol or two in the achingly effective “A Christmas Story,” a sequence in which words—and especially music—capture the recognizable pain of being away from home at Christmas, especially if that absence is in part to conceal a difficult secret. Elsewhere they excel at the weird glissandos that accompany the internal workings of Hannah’s meds while delivering plenty of euphoria in the chugging rhythms that attend the story’s brighter moments.”
Opera News >
“Best New Classical Albums: As One is a modern opera for minimal forces – two singers, both playing the central transgender character, and string quartet – all bringing superb performances…”
Gramophone Magazine >
"The robust, young Fry Street Quartet was a triumph of ensemble playing."
New York Times
"Technical precision and scorching spontaneity…"
Strad Magazine
"Their balance, blend and rhythmic cohesion work beautifully…"
Washington Post >
"[The Crossroads Project's] modes hop from inviting post-minimalism to electrifying dissonance to twisted nostalgia, ending with a pensive ascent. The Fry Street Quartet plays fluently and fluidly, with remarkable unity in unintuitive passages."
Boston Globe >
"Equally at home in the classic repertoire of Mozart and Beethoven or contemporary music…"
Palm Beach Daily News
"[The quartet] inhabited the works, playing with a unified sense of articulation, blend and knowledge of the music's dramatic keystones, nuanced subtleties and thrilling climaxes."
Salt Lake Tribune
"[A] recital that spoke of precision, preparation, excitement, profound heritage, and ultimate satisfaction. This exaltation of individually superb instrumentalists showed what riches are to be had through the conjunction of forces in unity."
New York Concert Review
“The Fry Street Quartet excels in exalting the cooperative dimensions at the center of the two quartets, not without internal conflicts but which ultimately transmit a refreshing optimism into an otherwise problematic future.”
Kathodik.it
"The Quartet demonstrated their near-perfect technical abilities, produced a beautiful tone quality, blend, and a tight knit and sensitive ensemble delivery."
Hickory News
"Fry Street's performance contained elegance and that wonderful chemistry that makes chamber music magical. They have a combination of musical maturity and charisma. The Fry Street Quartet has a capacity for both a lot of energy and also a lot of poetry."
South Bend Tribune
"The Fry Street's performance was electric, holding the audience in rapt attention at every moment. The group filled the score with an understanding and emotion rarely seen in performers so young."
Yellow Springs News
"....the FSQ captured the transcendent beauty of the music with its expressive and poetic reading. They brought spirituality to their interpretation and made it a profoundly moving and utterly spellbinding experience that left the audience enthralled by its eloquence."
Deseret News
"The Fry Street Quartet once again showed its artistry as it finished Saturday what it began a week earlier — a marvelous perusal of Beethoven's complete string quartets over six concerts, an event made even more memorable by the fact that this was the first time the cycle was performed in Utah."
Deseret News >
"Featuring the excellent Fry Street Quartet, with an interpretation of the pieces that was both joyous and personal."
Slug Magazine >
"Beethoven’s quartets should be in the FSQ’s blood. They showed once again they have complete command of the music. Their playing was filled with boldness and passion, but tempered with exquisite lyricism."
Reichel Recommends >
"A young American quartet whose reputation is rapidly approaching legend...taut, edgy and internally propelled with mordant wit."
SA-CD