Herbst Theatre, San Francisco
‘It would be difficult to improve on the Belcea’s ‘Hoffmeister’. They are not an ordinary competition-circuit quartet. For one thing, they put much more thought and effort into articulation than they do into pouring out sound. It wouldn’t be quite fair to say that leader Corina Belcea sets the tone; it’s truer to say that she embodies it. Her alert, zesty, occasionally impetuous style is the style of her three comrades in arms. And everything they do, they seem to do with one mind, not in the Borg-collective sense of some of the more obsessively rehearsed quartets, but just because they all want the same thing. In the ‘Hoffmeister’, that meant richness tempered with spirited articulation. I don’t think I’ve ever seen that viola part handled as well as Belcea violist Krzyzstof Chorzelski did. It was all so delft that it was almost self-effacing, and yet it was marvelous playing. There’s a place early in the ’Hoffmeister’s’ slow movement where the viola alone sustains through a rest. Just a held note, but in this case a held note to bring tears to the eyes.

It was the same in the more familiar Mozart quartet ending the program, the ‘Dissonant’. This group has the exceedingly rare knack of doing things in consort without seeming to choreograph them. There were dynamic effects in the Dissonant that in to her hands would’ve sounded contrived of precious. They didn’t Sunday.

As for Britten’s Third Quartet, which came in between – there have been many local performances by visiting quartets… none matched this, always alert, always full of life and attentive to color. Cellist Antoine Lederlin played the final Passacaglia with a mixture of wit and soul hard to describe. And second violinist Laura Samuel almost literally let all hell loose in the second-movement Scherzo, which begins as mayhem, gets all mellow for a spell, then goes nuts again. And Belcea’s own performance of the central’ Solo’ was exquisite, gently and persuasively backed by her vibrato-free colleagues.’
Michelle Dulak Thomson, San Francisco Classical Voice, 8 March 2006

Orange County Performing Arts Center
Dichotomous sound images – at once emotionally captivating and technically astounding – are the essence of great musical art and the main business of the stunning, unheralded British ensemble the Belcea String Quartet... With consistent panache and brilliance, this 10 –year –old, prize-winning foursome performed a deep and pleasing programme of two Mozart works and Benjamin Britten’s haunting Third Quartet, plus a bright encore in the Menuetto from Mozart’s final composition in the genre, the Quartet in F. No letdown of energy or intricate detailing lessened the impact of this concentrated delivery of music insights. All the group’s virtues were on display in the opening work, Mozart’s Quartet in D, K499 the ‘Hoffmeister’: The playing was gutsy and mellifluous, delicate and bold, balancing deep concentration and easy intuition, ever bearing down while ever letting go…. For their consistency, strength, virtuosity and single-mindedness, one cannot admire these young players overmuch.’
Daniel Cariaga, Los Angeles Times, 9 March 2006

Perth International Chamber Music Festival
This outstanding Perth Festival chamber music program was one of the most satisfying and engaging concerts I have attended.
The program opened with a highly finessed performance by the Belcea Quartet of Mozart's Prussian Quartet. The youthful ensemble presented an interpretation of remarkable maturity and refinement, its warm, rich tone filling the hall.
The playing was elegant, spacious and always beautifully shaped, the performance captivating from start to end. An extreme stylistic shift to Schoenberg posed no problem for the musicians. They revelled in the searing intensity and extreme mood changes of the second string quartet, characterising each gesture with a sharp focus and unanimity. The playing generated considerable excitement and energy without sacrificing control or sound quality.
Mark Coughlan, The Australian, 23 February 2006

The Belcea Quartet's passionate and energetic performance was in every respect beyond reproach. While Bartok's quartets present a formidable challenge, the Belcea Quartet, individually and as an ensemble, have technique to burn.
They possess a wonderfully homogenous sound but also freely employ a huge variety of string colour. The frequent and often abrupt changes of mood, tempo, dynamic and timbre were executed with breathtaking precision and unanimity. And when called to play alone, each member of the quartet exhibited great individuality and character.
Paul Hopwood, The Australian, 27 February 2006