The Stratton Quartet flourished in the 1920s and 1930s. George Stratton, the leader, found it increasingly difficult to lead the
London Symphony Orchestra as well as the Stratton Quartet, and so the Aeolian came into being. The Stratton Quartet performed under that name at the
National Gallery frequently during the war. In 1944 the new name was adopted. Both Watson Forbes and John Moore, the violist and cellist, had been members of the Stratton Quartet. Max Salpeter (1908-2010) was previously in the
Kutcher String Quartet and was leader of the original
New London Orchestra. The quartet participated in the May 1946
International Music Festival in Prague and the
International Contemporary Music Festival in London, July 1946. From 1948 to 1952 the Aeolian Quartet leader was Alfred Cave, when they made recordings of
Peter Warlock's
The Curlew with
Léon Goossens and tenor René Soames and
Purcell Fantasias which they recorded with future member Emanuel Hurwitz. Emanuel Hurwitz (leader) won a scholarship to the
Royal Academy of Music in a contest adjudicated by
Bronisław Huberman. In 1937 he was a member of the
Scottish National Orchestra under
George Szell, and in 1938 joined the
London Philharmonic under
Thomas Beecham. After the war he formed the Hurwitz string quartet, and led the small orchestra in the
Glyndebourne premiere of
Britten's
The Rape of Lucretia. He was sub-leader of the
Boyd Neel orchestra under Maurice Clare, and during the 1950s and 1960s leader of the
Melos Ensemble and of the
English Chamber Orchestra, which he led to international recognition. In 1965 he won the
Worshipful Company of Musicians' Gold Medal for services to chamber music. He was guest leader for two seasons of the
New Philharmonia Orchestra working with
Carlo Maria Giulini and
Otto Klemperer. He became leader of the Aeolian Quartet in 1970. She then won the IMA concert award, leading to concerts in London, Paris and Geneva. From 1956 until 1960 she was principal viola for the
Netherlands Chamber Orchestra, and then returned as principal viola of the Philomusica of London. She was a noted soloist, and became the third wife of the cellist Derek Simpson. She became professor at the Royal College of Music. Derek Simpson was first holder of the
Suggia Scholarship at the
Royal Academy of Music, and continued his studies in Paris. Returning to England he won the Queen's Prize and the Moulton-Meyer Award and soon afterwards made his debut in London recital. He was professor at the
Royal Academy of Music.
Activities Between 1966 and 1973 the Quartet toured Canada, the United States, Mexico and Australia. By 1973 they had completed 33 concerts in Central and South America and the Caribbean, including a performance of
Haydn quartets at the
Teatro Colón in Buenos Aires. Their schedule also included Amsterdam and Brussels, and the Far East. In 1973–74 they were making tours of Spain, the Middle East and Belgium, with other recitals in Italy and Portugal. There were important appearances at the
Edinburgh Festival in 1970 and 1972. In 1977 they planned to tour Australia and New Zealand with Kenneth Essex (viola), with whom they recorded Mozart's viola quintets. They held an international summer school in northern Italy, and established a similar course for chamber music players at the 1976
York Festival. == Recordings ==