War of words at the Wigmore Hall

A bitter spat has erupted between London’s premier chamber music venue and a German string quartet, after the hall’s cancellation of a June performance.

In fractious exchanges on Slipped Disc, someone called Billy Boyd using the Wigmore Hall’s email and claiming to speak on behalf of its staff, accused the Leipzig Quartet of being ‘dishonest, underhanded and badly … behaved.’

Matthias Moosdorf, the quartet’s cellist, replied: ‘Of course we did not lie. Why should we do this? WH got the full picture and followed the Leipzig Quartet social media on twitter.’

Behind the dispute is the absence of the quartet’s leader, Stefan Arzberger, who is facing a charge of attempted murder in New York. The Wigmore Hall claims that his absence, and a change of programme, invalidates their contract.

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