The brothers Erik, Ken, and Mark Schumann founded the SCHUMANN QUARTET in 2007 and it might well have been an all-family affair had the cellist’s twin sister chosen to switch from violin to viola and join them. The Schumann brothers are of German/Japanese heritage – an interesting mix of temperaments – and perhaps because of their sister they were drawn to a female becoming the fourth among equals. The Estonian violist Liisa Randalu did so in 2012 and in this exclusive audio podcast she is spokesperson for the group – only fitting since she is at the centre of the sound – and talks to Edward Seckerson about the quartet’s journey so far. It’s been a wild ride to date with the quartet turning heads and attracting notice wherever they perform. Their reviews have reflected the excitement they generate and with their second CD release – an ARS Production – challenging expectations and bringing together Mozart, Verdi, and Charles Ives the plot certainly thickens. Schumann is a name to live up to and how could the quartet bearing such an extraordinary composer’s name not want to push the envelope.

http://www.schumannquartett.de/