Viotti was Italian, as is the Quartet covering him on this Brilliant Classics set, but it’s an old oil painting of Westminster Bridge that sets the scene. The composer, the liner notes tell us, resided in England when this opus was probably written.

The music, which goes from placid (Andante) to lively (Allegro) over the course of nearly an hour, sounds pleasant enough to my unchambered ears. It would certainly serve as a fitting backdrop as one paddles back in time to early 1800s Europe.

my rating : 4 of 5

2020