Zorian Quartet

The Zorian Quartet was an English all-female string quartet ensemble. It was founded in 1942 by and named after violinist Olive Zorian. It gave the premiere performances of, and made the first recordings of, several compositions for string quartet by English composers, including Benjamin Britten and Michael Tippett. It also gave the premiere English performances of quartets by Ernest Bloch and Béla Bartók.[1]

Zorian Quartet
Origin	UK
Genres	Classical, string quartet

The original members were Olive Zorian (1916–65, violin I); Marjorie Lavers (violin II); Winifred Copperwheat (1905–76, viola); and Norina Semino (cello).[2][3][4]

Some sources say that the quartet disbanded in 1949.[1] Other sources say that it continued to perform for at least another ten years.[5] The later date is supported by evidence that the violinist Frances Mason and the cellist Eleanor Warren were members of the Zorian Quartet in the 1950s.[6][7]

Notable performances and recordings

• 27 March 1943 – Tippett, String Quartet No. 2; premiere, Wigmore Hall, London;[8] 1947, premiere recording [9]
• 3 July 1944 – Priaulx Rainier, String Quartet in C; premiere, Wigmore Hall [10]
• 5 March 1945 – Doreen Carwithen, String Quartet No. 1; premiere, Duke's Hall, Royal Academy of Music [11]
• 2–3 July 1945 – Vaughan Williams, song cycle On Wenlock Edge for voice, piano and string quartet, with Benjamin Britten (piano) and Peter Pears (tenor); Decca 78rpm recording [12]
• 21 November 1945 – Britten, String Quartet No. 2; premiere, Wigmore Hall;[3][13][14]^:228–230 1946, premiere recording His Master's Voice 78rpm C.3539 [15]
• 1946 – Henry Purcell, Fantasia upon One Note Z.745 for string ensemble, with Benjamin Britten (second viola); His Master's Voice 78rpm recording C.3539 [14]^:230[15]
• 19 October 1946 – Tippett, String Quartet No. 3; premiere, Wigmore Hall [16]
• 1948 – at the first Aldeburgh Festival: Tippett, String Quartet No. 2; Purcell, The Golden Sonata (Trio sonata in four parts in F major Z.810, realized by Britten); Frank Bridge, Phantasy Quartet, with Britten (piano) [14]^:269

References

1. Mitchell, Donald; Reed, Philip; Cooke, Mervyn, eds. (1991). Letters from a Life: 1952–1957: The Selected Letters of Benjamin Britten, 1913–1976. 4. Boydell Press. p. 310. ISBN 9781843833826.
2. "BBC Home Service". BBC. 27 July 1942. Retrieved 19 March 2016.
3. Keller, James M. (10 December 2010). Chamber Music: A Listener's Guide. Oxford University Press. p. 133. ISBN 978-0195382532. Retrieved 6 March 2016.
4. "Reid Chamber Concert, Thursday, November 30, 1944". Reid Concerts, University of Edinburgh. Retrieved 15 March 2015.
5. George, Joan. Merchants in Exile: The Armenians in Manchester, England, 1835–1935. Taderon Press (Gomidas Institute). ISBN 978-1903656082.
6. "Frances Mason". Incorporated Society of Musicians. Retrieved 16 March 2016.
7. Rubinstein, William D.; Jolles, Michael A.; Rubinstein, Hilary L., eds. (22 February 2011). "Warren, Eleanor Catherine". The Palgrave Dictionary of Anglo-Jewish History. London: Palgrave Macmillan. pp. 1005–6. ISBN 978-1403939104.
8. "Sir Michael Tippett (1905–1998) – String Quartet n°2 (1941)". IRCAM. Retrieved 15 March 2016.
9. Greenfield, Edward (14 January 2005). "Remembering Tippett: Fantasy Sonata; Concerto for Double String Orchestra; String Quartet No 2; Tallis: Spem in Alium, Sellick/ Goehr/ Zorian Quartet/ Morley College Choir/ Tippett". The Guardian. Retrieved 15 March 2016.
10. "Rainier, Ivy Priaulx". Retrieved 16 March 2016.
11. Wright, Adrian (18 September 2008). "The Innumerable Dance: The Life and Work of William Alwyn". Woodbridge, Suffolk: Boydell Press. ISBN 978-1843834120. Retrieved 15 March 2016.
12. "Britten on Record: Vaughan Williams – On Wenlock Edge". 29 January 2014. Retrieved 16 March 2016.
13. "Benjamin Britten (1913–1976), Quatuor à cordes n°2 (1945)". IRCAM. Retrieved 15 March 2016.
14. Carpenter, Humphrey (1992). Benjamin Britten: A Biography. Faber and Faber. ISBN 0-571-14324-5.
15. "Search Results for Zorian String Quartet". Arts and Humanities Research Council. Retrieved 6 March 2016.
16. "Sir Michael Tippett (1905–1998) – String Quartet n°3 (1945)". IRCAM. Retrieved 15 March 2016.

External links

• Zorian Quartet at AllMusic. Retrieved 15 March 2016.
• Zorian String Quartet discography at Discogs