Interview on Radio 3

Paul Cassidy, viola player. 

Interviewer: I wonder if its you who's responsible for this uh eclecticism in which the quartet indulges.

Paul: well I wouldn't like to take complete responsibility for it but my mind kinda works that sort of way. I seem to have a problem with just being in a string quartet, and in a way these days we seem to be living in an age where we have to bring the quartet into an other sort of platform if you like because all the great quartets of old like the bush and the Amadeus and the Hollywood quartet, these people, you can't really better what they did.
so the quartet it seems to me is a thing that is developing and I think we owe it to our peers to try and help it along in whatever way we can. What we try to do is just find good music, whether it be a Schubert quartet or a song by Bjork.

Interviewer: So tell me how the relationship with Bjork came about in the first place. who approached who?

Paul: Well you see at after the Juliet letters we were in rather the unenviable or enviable position of alot of people contacted us because they kinda got the wrong end of the stick I think. The feeling was that we were we were up for grabs in that world. whereas that wasn't the case at all. we had a very busy life as a sting quartet. but a couple of years later Bjork phoned up and asked if we'd make an arrangement for Hyperballad. well she was an artist that we were very much intrigued with and she's an extroidenary person so we jumped at that. and we got on extremely well and then very very gradually we developed a relationship until it got to a stage where we were playing at St. Goerges at Bristol
and here at the Union Chapel in London where were doing 23 songs."

Interviewer: You talked about being just blown away by her vocal technique. and it really is extraordinary isn't it:

Paul: I can't think of anything like it in any form of music. she sings perfectly in tune always,
which in itself is not an inconsiderable feat. And she can do things with her voice that defy belief. You know for instance in the Anchor Song at the Union Chapel, she did something that was like the depths of the ocean, like an anchor hitting the bed of the sea...everyone after that moment was just open mouthed.

*The Anchor Song*

Interviewer: There are others Paul who make what is I think a rather feeble criticism, that is working with non-classical musicians like Bjork somehow diminish you as a classical quartet. How do you respond to that?

Paul: I can understand that and you know they have a right to say that but they are probably not people that are ever going to warm to us as a group anyway. I don't class musicians I just take them on face value. if there is a good song by Randy Newman or Schubert its a good song and therefore worth playing.

Interviewer: We're going to finish today with more music by Bjork. Your first impressions Paul; The first time you met this extraordinary talent 

Paul: Like anyone when you meet someone you've admired for a number of years its always interesting, intriguing, exciting and in no way were we let down when Bjork came along because you're dealing with this power pack, this bundle of energy, and also a very modest, down-to-earth human being who's fun, attractive and above all a challenge to work with.

*Unravel*

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