John Rose was born in London in 1928 of Dutch parents who emigrated to Cape Town in 1940. There he was educated at the Diocesan College where, under the aegis of Claude Brown, major choral works were performed in association with the Cape Town Municipal Orchestra. The orchestra also performed two of his works. Subsequently he studied at the Royal Academy of Music in London, and at Oxford under Edmund Rubbra.

The compositions featured on this CD are extremely accessible – quite tonal and neo-classical. String Quartet No.1 is performed without a break and is an exploration of DSCH – a musical motif used by Shostakovich to represent himself. The Essay also explores this – though in different directions. The Second Quartet picks out motifs from Beethoven’s Op.135 Quartet and further develops that theme. The Preludes and Fugues are quite delightful.

The Edinburgh Quartet was founded in 1959 and quickly established itself as one of Britain’s’ foremost chamber ensembles, appearing regularly at prestigious venues across the country, including London’s Wigmore Hall and The South Bank Centre. It achieved international recognition after winning the Contemporary Prize at the Evian-les-Bains String Quartet Competition and has since toured extensively across Europe, the Far East, North and South America and the Middle East. The Quartet have made numerous BBC TV and BBC Radio 3 broadcasts and can also be heard on Classic FM. 2009 marked the Quartet’s fiftieth anniversary and it is now one of the longest running chamber ensembles in the UK, with a busier performing schedule than ever before.

Robert Melling was born in Plymouth, educated in York and moved to Glasgow in 1991 when he won a scholarship to study at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama. Whilst at the Academy, Robert won all duo and accompaniment prizes, including the principal’s overall prize. He performed regularly both as a soloist and accompanist for singers and instrumentalists in master classes with Roger Vignoles, Geoffrey Parsons, John Streets and Martin Isepp at the Britten-Pears School. Awarded a commendation in the Maggie Teyte Competition at Covent Garden, Robert was also chosen to perform in Graham Johnson’s Songmakers’ Almanac master classes and in concerts at St John Smith Square, London.