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| Igor Levit & the Leonkoro Quartet in Heidelberg in 2024 (Photo: Studio Visuell) |
Henriëtte Bosmans: String Quartet, Robert Schumann: Piano Quintet; Igor Levit, Leonkoro Quartet; Wigmore Hall
Reviewed 31 May 2026
A completely absorbing performance of the Schumann bringing a real sense of urgency to the music and refreshingly lacking romantic self-indulgence. The Quartet's performance of Bosmans' piece made you wonder why it was not better known
Wigmore Hall's 125th Anniversary Festival continues apace. On Sunday 31 May 2026, pianist Igor Levit joined the Leonkoro Quartet - Jonathan Schwarz and Emiri Kakiuchi (violin), Mayu Konoe (viola), Lukas Schwarz (cello) - for the second of two collaborations. Having performed Brahms's Piano Quintet in F minor Op. 34 together on Saturday evening, Sunday morning saw them performing Schumann's Piano Quintet. The quartet began the concert with Henriëtte Bosmans' String Quartet.
Bosmans' String Quartet dates from 1927, the period when she had just started working with Dutch composer William Pijper, to whom the quartet is dedicated, and the work reflects the changes to Bosmans' style. The work opened with a modal viola melody that made me think of Vaughan Williams and Bosmans' subsequent free flowing contrapuntal development of this evoked both RVW and his teacher, Ravel. Whilst there were more urgent, darker moments, textures were often transparent and harmony was luminous. The Quartet played it with care and feeling, bringing the music alive and making you wonder why the work is not better known. The second movement had a lush, romantic feel opening with a violin solo and then leading to more flowing textures, still luminous and transparent. The third (and final) movement began with urgent vigour. Things eased off in the middle section, with some lovely colours to the harmony and occasional disturbing notes from the cello so when the opening material returned there was an addition sense of anxiety.
By 1842 when Robert Schumann came to write his piano quintet, the piano trio was a long-established genre whilst Mozart had written important piano quartets. But as far as quintets were involved, the line-up was mostly that used by Schubert in his Trout Quintet (itself designed to match the instrumentation of another work). Schumann decided to change things up, replacing the double bass with a second violin thus giving the opportunity for more transparent textures.
The opening felt urgent, yet there was noticeable care and attention to the phrases. As things eased off there was a lovely sense of flow to the cello melody, then in the development the music's intensity and urgency was complemented by the sheer power and dazzle of Levit's finger-work. Throughout the piece, whilst we never lost sight of Levit's piano he knew when to ebb and flow. There was a rich subtlety to the work along with a sense of urgency. The march that opens the second movement was distinctly marked but with strong forward motion. Levit brought a lovely shimmer to the piano in the first episode, complementing the string with their rather attractive use of portamenti. There was a reticence to Levit's playing at times so that there was never a sense of a mini piano concerto nor was there ever the feeling of famous pianist playing with young quartet. When the march returned there was an added element of foreboding, then the second episode was urgent with a new sense of violence allied to the power and dazzle of Levit's playing. As the early material returned rather transformed the repeat of the first episode almost became a memory and the final incarnation of the march reticent indeed. There was an impetuous feel to the third movement with Levit's vigorous piano passage-work, then the trio had a welcome lyricism. But when the opening material returned it was with a dark and furious urgency. The opening of the final movement was marked with a refreshing invigorating feel. Things eased off for the piano scale passages and the music seemed to combine lyrical ease with more disturbing piano moments. Levit really struck out at the notes opening the fugato, the music moving urgently to the close.
There was little in the way of romantic self-indulgence in this performance. It was substantial in length yet completely absorbing and whilst speeds were never excessive there was always an underlying urgency to the playing. All in all there was a remarkable combination of headlong energy with care and attention.
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