"[Le Fine Arts Quartet] donne une splendide version de la Sérénade italienne d’Hugo Wolf, vibrante, légère et rapide, à l’équilibre idéal...La qualité d’exécution est au dessus du lot, avec un Ralph Evans en forme étincelante, dont l’archet vole sur l’instrument, et des partenaires qui font de même...Le Fine Arts Quartet joue ces pages (Herrmann) avec une implication irréprochable, faisant une démonstration de légèreté et de finesse de timbre."
(Richard Letawe, ClassiqueInfo.com, 6 août 2013)
"Last night, the audience was treated to the incomparable playing of the Fine Arts Quartet whose gifted musicality and technical expertise ably took on works by Saint-Saëns...remarkable sensitivities exerted passionately by the Fine Arts Quartet...Bravo to the members of the Fine Arts Quartet whose impeccable phrasing, timing and unbeatable interpretation of each piece vividly expressed all the miniscule and big moments of musical nuances residing in Saint-Saëns creative imagination."
(Nancy Snipper, Arts and Opinions, Vol.12, No.2, May 2013) Full review
"La rassegna “Amalfi Coast Music & Arts Festival” riporta a Napoli lo straordinario Fine Arts Quartet...che si è confermato ensemble di caratura mondiale, caratterizzato da un suono di grande nitidezza e da un affiatamento perfetto."
(Criticaclassica, 20 luglio 2013) Full review
"Put together a list of the world’s most enduring string quartets, and the Fine Arts Quartet — a powerhouse of American chamber music for more than six decades — will rank very near the top. That’s due to the group’s incisive powers of interpretation and a taste for off-the-beaten-path repertoire, both of which were in evidence...Tuesday night, when the quartet appeared at the Kennedy Center...The Fine Arts Players turned in a superb and absolutely impassioned performance — a seamless and astute reading from its slashing opening chords to its galloping, heart-racing finale."
(Stephen Brookes, Washington Post, December 13, 2012) Full review
"Hôte pour la cinquième fois du Festival aux Chandelles, le légendaire quatuor américain a été fêté par le public de Saint-Pierre-sur-l'Hâte. Soixante-six ans d'existence depuis sa fondation à Chicago et héritage du premier Quatuor de Budapest, son modèle d'alors, un esprit fait d'engagement expressif, de somptuosité de la couleur et de virtuosité au service du sens de l'oeuvre. La prestigieuse formation du Fine Arts Quartet a conservé son identité esthétique tandis que passait le relais d'une génération à l'autre."
(Christian Fruchart, Dernières Nouvelles d'Alsace, Sep 5, 2012) Full review
"Septembre musical: le Fine Arts Quartet enchante Ecouché...une magistrale interpretation."
(Ouest-France.fr, Sep 3, 2012)
"The Fine Arts Quartet is playing its 66th season, and if you’re curious how that is physically possible, it’s simply a gentle substitution of new members throughout the decades. Remarkably, Ralph Evans and Efim Boico, the first and second violinists, respectively, came on board in the early 1980s, and since then, have recorded 80 pieces of music in a staggering discography...They began with Haydn’s “String Quartet in F Major, Op.74, No.2,” in a bright and precise performance. The Haydn was followed by the fantastic “String Quartet in A Minor, Op. 41, No.1...After intermission, the quartet was joined by Michelle Schumann for Dvorak’s Quintet in A major, Op. 81. And the spectacular opening movement was a tempest, giving the impression of teetering above a cliff face...It was an evening of focused performances of warmly rewarding works."
(Luke Quinton, Austin360.com, July 9, 2012) Full review
"The program of Haydn, Dohnányi and Zimbalist was a lovely array of the familiar, the relatively unknown and the almost completely obscure. It opened with Haydn’s String Quartet in F, op.74, no.2. The Fine Arts rendition was robust, focused and beautifully balanced...The musicians focused on its [the first movement's] formal integrity. They didn’t sacrifice the lyrical component, and the Andante grazioso second movement was particularly lovely. The Menuetto and Finale were vigorous and engaging...The Fine Arts performance [of the Dohnanyi] was thoroughly persuasive. The transitions from the introductions to the faster material were seamless, though that was only one of the many delights of the offering. Clean, well-blended and unanimous in intent, the four musicians were wonderfully expressive throughout the concert and these qualities brought the best features of Ephrem Zimbalist’s String Quartet in E minor to the fore.
(Richard Todd, Ottawa Citizen, July 6, 2012) Full Review
"Everything was in place: The notes of a highly challenging score, played impeccably with apparent ease; expressiveness that sounded universal rather than willful and egotistical; and an attention to ensemble that makes the audience think that the musicians have been together for a lifetime. The players came across not only as interpreters of the score, but as poetic, expressive curators. Stellar technique certainly helps with this, but would mean nothing without their shared understanding of the music. They seemed to realize that the Trout is a gem, a perfect specimen. They dusted it off and displayed it, with just the right amount of personal insight. The performance was emotional but it was also restrained, and that made the results all the more powerful. Their sonic philosophy was evident from the explosive opening chord, followed by a first theme played with a sense of awe and mystery. A welcome delicacy permeated all five movements. They passed around the tune in the celebrated variation movement as if handing off a fragile treasure. The pianissimos in the andante couldn’t have been softer or more poignant. The performance certainly had its bravura moments, which stood out all the more amid the delicacy...Mozart’s exquisite String Quartet K 575...opened the program. Originally, 18th and 19th century chamber music was not meant for big halls but for domestic spaces. It is an intimate and conversational art. This performance captured that intimacy and sent it all the way up to the 4th row of the balcony."
(Jonathan Brodie, Third Coast Digest, June 25, 2012) Full Review
"The Fine Arts Quartet worked magic for Dohnányi from the first measures to the last; the final quiet chords satisfied as much as any fortissimo closing cadence."
(David Bohn, Third Coast Digest, June 18, 2012) Full review
"Det är ett varierat och vackert program gentlemännen i Fine Arts Quartet bjuder på...Inte var herrarna trötta efter sin fina konsert! Som extranummer fick vi en hisnande snabb Perpetual Motion från Haydns Stråkkvartett nr 54 i D-dur , "Lärkan" (1790). Vilken virtuositet! Välkomna tillbaka många gånger, Fine Arts Quartet."
(Jenny B, Kulturdelen, 5:e maj 2012) Full review
"À l’heure où le « jeunisme » est de mise, à l’heure où tant de nouvelles formations de chambristes talentueux piaffent en attendant une hypothétique gloire, qu’il est réconfortant de voir que sur les âmes bien nées les années n’ont pas de prise ! En effet, le quatuor Fine Arts et l’étonnant Menahem Pressler nous offrent sans lésiner des instants de pur bonheur...L’élégance, la sobriété, le sens du discours musical, tels peuvent être les qualificatifs caractérisant le jeu des quatre instrumentistes dans l’interprétation du quatuor de Haydn. Ils savent faire ressortir aussi bien le côté « école de cavalerie espagnole » aristocratique du thème du premier mouvement, que celui d’inspiration populaire du dernier ; ils savent nous faire goûter aux audaces harmoniques des changements de tons de la première partie aussi bien qu’insister sur le caractère ambigu de celui de l’adagio...Avec le sens de la logique musicale qui semble les caractériser, le quatuor Fine Arts et le pianiste Menahem Pressler nous ont bercés en bis avec le mouvement du quintette de Brahms dont le thème ambigu sans cesse répété conduit aux pays des rêves..."
(Joelle Farenc, Resmusica.com, 30 novembre 2011) Full review
"FINE ARTS QUARTET, POUR LE MEILLEUR DE LA MUSIQUE...D'emblée, l'on remarque avec plaisir l'assurance des quatre musiciens qui galvanise le groupe. Leur longue expérience s'exprime à chaque instant, tant dans leurs expressions scéniques que dans leur jeu. Et il en faut, soyez-en persuadés, pour jouer un Quatuor de Haydn en concert. Leur jeu clair et précis, appuyé par l'ingéniosité des contrastes reflétait la subtile cohésion des quatre musiciens. L'écoute mutuelle des chambristes permit une grande clarité dans leur discours mais également une interprétation pleine de vie, à la fois riche en couleurs, en nuances et en subtilité...La virtuosité de chacun des intrumentistes était impressionnante notamment par sa précision rhythmique."
(Lorraine Wild, Le Bien Publique, 27 novembre 2011)
Le concert s'ouvrait sur le quatuor en sol majeur, le premier de l'opus 77, de Haydn...-une grande et belle leçon. Une interprétation proprement inspirée: un premier mouvement enjoué à souhait, le deuxième empreint d'une élégante gravité...une interprétation rayonnante.
Les qualités exceptionnelles du Fine Arts Quartet, modèle d'homogénéité, de plénitude, de distinction et d'engagement, allaient se confirmer dans le 3e quatuor de Bartók...Les ovations sont telles que, malgré la richesse du programme, les musiciens nous offrent un bis. Quel beau cadeau! Un intense bonheur. Merci, Monsieur Pressler de nous donner encore et toujours le meilleur de vous-même, et merci au Fine Arts Quartet pour cette soirée inoubliable."
(Eusébius, Musicologie.org, 26 novembre 2011) Full review
"Menahem Pressler et le Fine Arts Quartet hier soir: Un sublime retour aux fondamentaux...il est bon de retrouver une élégance stricte, raffinement et équilibre parfait...Tous les professionnalisme d'artistes d'envergure internationale pour une vraie démonstration d'osmose musicale...Fondamentalement rejouissant!"
(Pierre-Olivier Febvret, La Montagne, 24 novembre, 2011)
"The Chicago Fine Arts String Quartet -- an ensemble established some sixty-five years ago -- was supplemented with the young Romanian pianist Alexandra Costin...Enescu's quintet sounded very dramatic and, at the same time, quite languid. A highly professional performance which fully deserved the applause of a Friday afternoon audience."
(Guiseppe Pennisi, Patrikpen, 7 novembre 2011) Full review
"Das Fine Arts Quartet...brachte am vergangenen Freitag im Bukarester Athenäum ein klassisches und ein romantisches Streichquartett zu Gehör: Joseph Haydns op. 77 Nr. 1 in G-Dur und Robert Schumanns op. 41 Nr. 1 in a-Moll. Bestechend war dabei die Homogenität des Klangs, insbesondere in den Unisono-Stellen des Finalsatzes im Haydn-Quartett, und die expressive Dynamik, spürbar vor allem in den Modulationen des langsamen dritten Satzes im Schumann-Quartett. In jedem Moment war aber die stupende Virtuosität der vier Musiker zu spüren, vor allem im Allegro-Eröffnungssatz des Haydn-Quartetts und ganz besonders im rauschenden Presto-Schlusssatz des Schumann-Quartetts."
(Dr. Markus Fischer, Allgemeine Deutsche Zeitung, 23. September 2011) Full Review
"Unul dintre cele mai apreciate și longevive cvartete de coarde din lume, „Fine Arts”, a susținut două concerte în cadrul Festivalului Internațional „George Enescu”, la Timișoara și la Ateneul Român din București...Concertul de la Ateneu a fost o excelentă dovadă a nivelului artistic, a muzicalității și stilului componenților săi...Primul dintre cele trei cvartete de coarde publicate de Schumann în 1842 este o muzică tipic romantică, având pagini lirice cantabile dar și momente exuberante. De aceea, sonoritatea foarte nuanțată, rafinată, dar și siguranța ritmică a interpreților de la Ateneu i-au fost întru totul convenabile. Această muzică nu te poate lăsa nici un moment indiferent, pentru că ea rostește, în culori atât de diferite, o sferă cuprinzătoare de sentimente... Un foarte bun dozaj sonor, culori încântătoare, frazări potrivite și mai ales o armonie suverană s-au desprins din interpetarea Cvartetului „Fine Arts” și a pianistei Alexandra Costin."
(Costin Tuchilă, Liber sa spun, 20 Sep 2011) Full Review
"De la Haydn la Enescu – o distanţă stilistică enormă, pe care cvartetul american (Chicago, 1946) a parcurso degajat ca şi cum ar fi fost lucrul cel mai fi resc cu putinţă. Desigur, componenţa nu mai este cea de la origini dar nivelul artistic s-a păstrat. Este o formaţie de mare clasă care cântă cu rafinament dar în acelaşi timp cu o naturaleţe desăvârşită, fără urmă de pedanterie sau didacticism...Dar piatra de încercare a programului a fost Cvintetul cu pian op. 29 de Enescu. Mă întrebam dacă vor putea oare patru instrumentişti veniţi din occident să găsească sunetul, frazarea specific enesciene, pentru care nici o şcoală germană, franceză, anglo-saxonă etc. nu i-ar fi putut pregăti...Ei bine, pot spune că surpriza a fost de proporţii. De sub arcuşul primului violonist ieşeau acele sunete insinuante, atât de bine-cunoscute nouă, care-şi modifică uşor intensitatea pe parcurs în cel mai autentic stil enescian. Vibrato-ul cald, câţiva portamenti de abia perceptibili – atât cât să îndulcească salturile mai mari – completau o manieră de cânt pe care instrumentiştii noştri şi-o însuşesc de pe băncile şcolii dar pe care este uluitor s-o întâlneşti la un străin – şi încă realizată la superlativ!...Se înţelege că Evans şi-a instruit şi colegii de cvartet în acelaşi spirit, chiar dacă nu i-a adus poate la acelaşi nivel. Toţi au cântat însă cu multă dăruire şi – cel mai important! – au înţeles acel filon cantabil al muzicii lui Enescu şi astfel au scos minunat în evidenţă motivele ciclice care traversează lucrarea; pentru ca în final, în momentul suprem de acumulare tematică, să realizeze împreună o creştere cu adevărat grandioasă. A fost un concert de o calitate excepţională, încărcat de emoţie artistică, susţinut de nişte muzicieni desăvârşiţi şi în acelaşi timp comunicativi."
(Alice Movradin, Muzica.Jurnalul, 19 septembrie 2011) Full Review
"Fine Arts Quartet zagrał rewelacyjnie!...Publiczność była zachwycona...Amerykanie: Ralph Evans – skrzypce, Efim Boico – skrzypce, Nicolo Eugelmi – altówka, Robert Cohen – wiolonczela, uznawani są za najlepszych wykonawców w swojej kategorii - kwartetów smyczkowych. W Radomiu też dali popis swych możliwości technicznych, umiejętności interpretacyjnych i maestrii w budowaniu nastroju. I to niesłychane brzmienie!...No i oczywiście bis, a także owacja publiczności (łącznie z okrzykami!) na stojąco."
(MójRadom.pl, 13.04.2011) Full Review