Acclaimed for their versatility and wide-ranging repertoire, the Brodsky Quartet have released more than 60 recordings and toured regularly across the UK and around the world. Noted especially for playing the string works of Haydn, Beethoven, Schubert, Bartók and Shostakovich, they have also recorded with pop stars such as Elvis Costello, Björk and Paul McCartney.
Ian Belton and Jacqueline Thomas were among the original members of the ensemble along with violinists Alex Robertson and Michael Thomas, who were all students together at Manchester's Royal Northern College of Music. Taking their name from Russian violinist Adolph Brodsky, who died in 1929, they continued to study and were prize winners in competitions at Evian and Portsmouth. Paul Cassidy replaced Robertson before they made their London debut in 1982 and went on to become resident quartet at Cambridge University, the first of several residencies over the years. They have performed and recorded string cycles by Beethoven and Shostakovich as well as composers such as Dave Brubeck and Kurt Weill. In 1993, they collaborated with Elvis Costello on his album 'The Juliet Letters'.
Andrew Haveron replaced Michael Thomas in 1999 but he departed the group in 2007 to be succeeded by Daniel Rowland. The Brodsky Quartet continue to tour regularly with appearances in 2017 including the Buxton Festival, the Dankworth Family Festival, the Llandello Fawr Festival of Music, and the Stift Festival in The Netherlands. Their latest recordings include 'Benjamin Britten: The Complete String Quartets' (2015), 'Brahms: String Quartet, Op. 51/1 and Piano Quintet, Op. 34' (2016) and 'Mozart Flue Quartets' (2017).
