Divertimenti Ensemble

Schubert's Quintet is among the three works most frequently chosen by the castaways on BBC Radio Four's fabled Desert Island.  Formed in 1978, and still including four of its founding members, the Divertimenti Ensemble is a quintet with two cellos with this great work at the centre of its repertoire, alongside lesser-known works for the same configuration and also quartets, quintets with two violas and sextets.  At their last visit to the Society, in 2000, they played the well-known piano quintet by Brahms in a reconstruction of the composer's original version for string quintet.  The Ensemble's leader, Paul Barritt, led the Northern Sinfonia for several years, and performed for us two seasons ago with the Zimro Trio.  

'Eloquent performances of some captivating rarities … absolutely not to be missed.’
Gramophone