The Lindsay String Quartet (or The Lindsays) was a British
string quartet from 1965 to 2005.
History
The quartet first performed at the
Royal Academy of Music in 1965 to compete for a prize and set out to make the string quartets of
Bartók and
Beethoven
Ludwig van Beethoven (baptised 17 December 177026 March 1827) was a German composer and pianist. Beethoven remains one of the most admired composers in the history of Western music; his works rank amongst the most performed of the classic ...
the centre of their repertoire. In 1967, the quartet was appointed to be Leverhulme Scholars at
Keele University
Keele University, officially known as the University of Keele, is a public research university in Keele, approximately from Newcastle-under-Lyme, Staffordshire, England. Founded in 1949 as the University College of North Staffordshire, Keele ...
, and in 1970, it changed its name from the Cropper to the Lindsay String Quartet, naming itself after
Lord Lindsay, the founder of Keele University. 1971 brought a change in second violin to Ronald Birks. The quartet gained a
Gramophone Award
The Gramophone Classical Music Awards, launched in 1977, are one of the most significant honours bestowed on recordings in the classical record industry. They are often viewed as equivalent to or surpassing the American Grammy award, and refe ...
for the Late Beethoven Quartets in 1984. Roger Bigley left the quartet in 1985 to be replaced by Robin Ireland. Bigley then became assistant principal viola of the BBC Philharmonic orchestra before becoming assistant head of strings at the
RNCM
The Royal Northern College of Music (RNCM) is a conservatoire located in Manchester, England. It is one of four conservatoires associated with the Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music. In addition to being a centre of music education ...
.
In 1974, they became Quartet-in-Residence at
Sheffield University
, mottoeng = To discover the causes of things
, established = – University of SheffieldPredecessor institutions:
– Sheffield Medical School – Firth College – Sheffield Technical School – University College of Sheffield
, type = Pu ...
and five years later held a similar position at
Manchester University
, mottoeng = Knowledge, Wisdom, Humanity
, established = 2004 – University of Manchester Predecessor institutions: 1956 – UMIST (as university college; university 1994) 1904 – Victoria University of Manchester 1880 – Victoria Univer ...
, where they performed a regular concert season, directed seminars, and coached chamber ensembles. The quartet presented festivals each year at the Studio Theatre in the
Crucible Theatre
The Crucible Theatre (often referred to simply as "The Crucible") is a theatre in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England which opened in 1971. Although it hosts regular theatrical performances, it is best known for hosting professional snooker's ...
,
Sheffield
Sheffield is a city in South Yorkshire, England, whose name derives from the River Sheaf which runs through it. The city serves as the administrative centre of the City of Sheffield. It is historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire a ...
, which featured many famous local and international musicians, and travelled widely throughout the world.
In 2005, after 39 years, the quartet announced their intended retirement the following year. They then performed a very successful series of farewell concerts throughout the world, culminating in four final concerts in their home town of Sheffield in July 2005. Individual members afterwards pursued separate musical ideas.
The quartet have produced an extensive list of recordings, including a highly acclaimed Beethoven cycle, and substantial parts of the Haydn, Mozart, Schubert and Dvorak repertoires.
In 2019, a book titled ''A Quintessential Quartet: The Story of the Lindsay String Quartet'' was written by Bernard Gregor-Smith, one of the founding members of the Lindsay String Quartet.
Leader
Peter Cropper (19 November 1945 – 29 May 2015) was the founding Artistic Director of
Music in the Round, a charitable organisation he founded in the 1980s, that promotes chamber music concerts in Sheffield and nationally. The Lindsays formed the core of Music in the Round's activity for over twenty years, until their retirement. Cropper died suddenly in 2015 aged 69.
[ Peter Cropper obituary in The Guardian]
4 June 2015, retrieved 5 May 2015.
Members
*
Peter Cropper (first violin)
*Michael Adamson (second violin, 196571)
*Ronald Birks (second violin, 19712005)
*Roger Bigley (viola, 196585)
*Robin Ireland (viola, 19852005)
*Bernard Gregor-Smith (cello)
Awards
Gramophone Award - 1984
Honorary Doctorate - Keele University, 1986
Honorary Doctorate - Sheffield Hallam University, 1990
Honorary Doctorate - University of Leicester, 1998
Honorary Doctorate - University of Sheffield, 2001
Honorary Doctorate - University of Manchester, 2005
Books
A Quintessential Quartet: The Story of the Lindsay String Quartet written by Bernard Gregor-Smith
Art
The Lindsay String Quartet (Peter Cropper; Ronald Birks; Robin Ireland; Bernard Gregor-Smith) Hanging in The National Portrait Gallery, London, United Kingdom , by György Gordon , oil on canvas, 2003 , Primary Collection , NPG 6649
ASV Lindsay String Quartet discography
BEETHOVEN: String Quartets "Rasumovsky" No.7, Nos.8 & 9 CD DCA 553, 554
BEETHOVEN: String Quartets Nos.12-16 & Grosse Fuge CD DCA 601, 602, 603 & 604
BEETHOVEN: String Quartets (The New Cycle):
:Opus 18, Nos. 1, 2 & 3 CD DCA 1111
:Opus 18, Nos. 4/5. Opus 14. CD DCA 1112
:Opus 18, No. 6. Quintet Op.29. CD DCA 1113
:Opus 59, "Razumovsky" Nos. 1 & 3 CD DCA 1114
:Opus 59, No.2 and Opus 74. CD DCA 1115
:Opus 95, Opus 127. CD DCA 1116
:Op.130 & Grosse Fuge Op.133 CD DCA 1117
:Op.132 & Quintet Op.104 CD DCA 1118
:Op.131 & Op.135 CD DCA 1119
BARTOK: String Quartets
:Nos. 1 & 2 DCA 510
:Nos. 3 & 4 DCA 509
:Nos. 5 & 6 DCA 504
BORODIN:
String Quartets Nos. 1+2, String Sextet (with L. Williams, R. Wallfisch) CD DCA 1143
BRAHMS / SCHUMANN:
Piano Quintets (with P. Frankl) CD DCA 728
MENDELSSOHN : String Quartet No. 6 & BRAHMS : String Quartet No. 2 CD QS 6173
HAYDN: The Seven Last Words CD DCA 853
HAYDN: String Quartets “Sun” Op.20 - Nos.1, 3 & 4 CD DCA 1027
HAYDN: String Quartets “Sun” Op.20 - Nos.2, 5 & 6 CD DCA 1057
HAYDN: String Quartets Op.33 - Nos.1, 2 "The Joke"& 4 CD DCA 937
HAYDN: String Quartets Op.33 - Nos.3 "The Bird",5 & 6 CD DCA 938
HAYDN: The 3 String Quartets Op.54 "Tost I" CD DCA 582
HAYDN: The 3 String Quartets Op.55 CD DCA 906
HAYDN: The 3 String Quartets Op.64 (part 1) CD DCA 1083
HAYDN: The 3 String Quartets Op.64 (part 2) CD DCA 1084
HAYDN: The 3 String Quartets Op.76 (part 1) CD DCA 1076
HAYDN: The 3 String Quartets Op.76 (part 2) CD DCA 1077
Haydn: String Quartets Op.50 Nos. 1-3 CD GLD 4007
Haydn: String Quartets Op.50 Nos. 4-6 CD GLD 4008
Haydn: String Quartets Op.74 Nos. 1-3 CD GLD 40132
Hadyn: String Quartets Op.77 Nos. 1-2, Op.42, Op.103 CD GLD 40102
MOZART: Quartet K387 / String Quintet K516 CD DCA 923
MOZART: Quartet K458 "The Hunt" / Horn Quintet / Oboe Quartet CD DCA 968
MOZART: Quartet K428 / String Quintet K515 CD DCA 992
MOZART: Quartet K421 / String Quintet K593 CD DCA 1018
MOZART: Clarinet Quintet/String Quintet K464 CDDCA 1042
MOZART: Quartet K465 / String Quintet K614 CD DCA 1069
RAVEL & DEBUSSY: String Quartets / STRAVINSKY: 3 Pieces CD DCA 930
SCHUBERT:String Quintet (with Douglas Cummings - cello) CD DCA 537
SCHUBERT:String Quartets Nos.8 & 13 "Rosamunde" CD DCA 593
SCHUBERT:String Quartets Nos.12 & 14 "Death and the Maiden" CD DCA 560
SCHUBERT:String Quartet No.15 CD DCA 661
TIPPETT: String Quartet No.4 / BRITTEN: String Quartet No.3 CD DCA 608
"THE BOHEMIANS"
JANACEK: The 2 String Quartets "Kreutzer Sonata" & "Intimate Letters" / DVORAK: Cypresses CD DCA 749
SMETANA: The 2 String Quartets / DVORAK: Romance & 2 Waltzes CD DCA 777
DVORAK: String Quartets Nos.10 & 14 CD DCA 788
DVORAK: String Quartets Nos.12 "The American" & 13 CD DCA 797
DVORAK: Bagatelles / String Quintet "The American" CD DCA 806
DVORAK & MARTINU: Piano Quintets (with Peter Frankl - piano) CD DCA 889
References
Bigley, Roger (1981). ''Beethoven String Quartets Op.59 'Razumovsky, CD liner notes. Academy Sound and Vision Ltd.
External links
Member links
Peter Cropper
Robin Ireland
Bernard Gregor-Smith
Tributes
Music in the Round's Tribute to Peter Cropper
Music and videos
BBC Omnibus Episode, 1977Beethoven String Quartet in B-flat major, Op. 130 - 5. CavatinaThe Lindsays YouTube Channel
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lindsay Quartet
Musical groups established in 1965
Musical groups disestablished in 2005
English string quartets
1965 establishments in the United Kingdom
2005 disestablishments in the United Kingdom