Coll, Quartet and Cricket - The Ruisi Quartet

After surviving one of our longest journeys together as a quartet (we're all still friends), the Ruisi Quartet arrived in Coll yesterday in good spirits. As well as looking forward to escaping London for the peace and tranquility of the island, we were also excited to get to work on some truly great quartet repertoire. 

After settling in and working out our way around the island, we got straight to work in our lovely little rehearsal space; the Green Cottage. With no noise and a stunning view over the bay, it felt a world away from our usual digs. The quartet have always had a special connection to the works of Haydn, and we've brought one of his Op.33 quartets nicknamed 'The Joke' to study whilst we're here. It's a wonderful piece, bursting with Haydn's signature wit alongside some truly beautiful melodies. With such an inspiring setting and so little extraneous distraction, we were able to make swift progress in COLLtivating our own interpretation of the work.

After getting a decent amount of rehearsing done, we still had time to indulge in our second passion; cricket. Having lugged a bat and ball all the way from Hackney, we found an inviting piece of tarmac and some obliging traffic cones to act as stumps. If the skill wasn't there, the enthusiasm certainly was. It's like the old saying goes; those that play cricket together, play great Haydn...