"It was...a delight to rediscover this wise and polished ensemble...What is remarkable, and what was immediately evident in its opening Haydn, is...its level of vitality and its musical commitment...The performance was elegantly contained and sophisticated, but never effete. The opening movement, with its beautiful design, was absolutely clear, fresh and balanced. The andante was at once modest and rich, in the authentic Haydn way. The minuet was vigorous and humorous...The Shostakovich Seventh Quartet is a sparkling little piece...Its sheer élan, as the Fine Arts played it, made it the perfect astringent before the sumptuous feast of the Schumann Piano Quintet. Kuerti was at his marvellous best in this opulent Schumann, absolutely at one with the four strings who, in turn, luxuriated in having such a collaborator. The result was a performance utterly alive, perfect in its integrity, with each of its four movements fully characterized and luminous in the delicacy of its dynamic shadings and lyrical inspiration...This was an experience to file in the memory as a new standard for performances of this great piece."
(Ken Winters, The Globe and Mail, November 24, 2009) Full Review