Two strong reviews have been published of Beo’s Morgan Library performance on January 31st, 2023.
George Grella, covering the Morgan Library concert for New York Classical Review, wrote on February 1, 2023:
Beo String Quartet makes an outstanding New York debut. ..These days that one expects exact intonation and clear articulation from quartets, at all speeds and dynamic levels…The Beo Quartet had all that technical facility, to which they added a sound that was grainy with a touch of velvet, robust and woody—superior technique wrapped in a classic sound. Inside the historic room of J.P. Morgan’s own library, in the company of books and music manuscripts, and with the space’s excellent acoustic, the sheer sound of the quartet was invigorating and deeply satisfying. As was their artistry, which came across in both the programming and the playing. With all this skill, passion, and strength, one expected great things form the Shostakovich performance, and the quartet did not disappoint. This was an ideal pairing of playing and compositional styles—the quartet’s sheer expressive force added tremendous weight to Shostakovich’s theme.
For the full review, click here.
And Frank Daykin, reviewing January 31, 2023 in The New York Concert Review, had this to say:
”Beo” means: to bless, make happy, gladden, and delight. Based on this one introductory hearing, I believe the Beo String Quartet is poised to do just that, to an ever widening circle of audiences. [they have] two areas of perfection—1) absolute purity of intonation, which was really evident in their Bach selections and 2) that supernatural one-ness of interpretive intent that animates the best quartets...The “heat” of Beo’s performance of [the Shostakovich Quartet No. 8] showed me that its strengths may lie in the traditional repertoire, despite their commitment to adventuresome commissioning and their admirable educational outreach angle—so necessary if there is to be an audience for this sort of thing at all in the future…Bravo Beo, I hope to hear many more good things from and about you for years to come.
For the full review, click here.