On 18 March Richard Causton's Piano Quintet was premiered by the Nash Ensemble as part of the Ensemble's 50th Anniversary celebrations.
"In the first half [of Richard Causton's Piano Quintet] the upper strings detached themselves spatially and emotionally from the piano and cello. The latter duo supplied dark, sepulchral, drone-like sounds, while the upper strings sprinted through fast, angular medieval-style chords. This complete disconnect was "healed" by a second half of unified timbres and moods - but only to produce a bleak, static landscape of ghostly harmonics. Not a jolly piece, but strikingly imaginative."
Richard Morrison, The Times, Friday 20th March 2015
"The first of the world premières opened the concert – Richard Causton’s Piano Quintet. The Nash’s vigour was there right from the beginning, as the trio of upper strings battled with the duo of cello and piano; the first swirling high, homophonic tonal harmony, the second low, atonal jumps....[then] the piece shifted into hypnotic territory. Tim Horton brought a lullaby-like quality to his piano trilling interjections as the ensemble invoked a shimmering night sky, ending with plucked piano strings wonderfully mimicking the tolls of early morning bells."
(http://bachtrack.com/review-nash-ensemble-booth-wigmore-hall-march-2015)
