Our Repertoire is Unique...

...you won't hear anything quite like it anywhere else.  

It became clear to us very early on that many string quartet arrangements available commercially are just not that well written, relying mainly on fleshing out a popular tune in the simplest way possible. This has a big bearing on performance, as players become disengaged, and a gig just becomes a slog to the finish - this attitude is audible! ESPECIALLY for the lower string players, who frequently get lumped with the engine-room chug-chug-chugging parts. We quickly came to realise that the arranger is as much of an artist as the composer, and better arrangements mean better performance. 

Nice job on 'There is a Light [That Never Goes Out - The Smiths]...' It sounded cracking.

Grant McLarty, Wedding 21st April 2012, Royal College of Physicians, Edinburgh

With this in mind, Pete started writing his own arrangements, and now, a decade down the line, has produced the diverse library that we use today, which is still growing month on month. We don't limit ourselves to this of course - numerous other arrangers have produced some brilliant works too which we are delighted to include in our repertoire, arrangers such as Carlo Martelli and Bill Thorp - not to mention the wealth of original works by history's great composers. But what we don't do is perform substandard music just for the sake of having a certain piece available. We strive to make our music as exciting or involving or moving as possible for everyone - ourselves and our audience. 

...technically and musically brilliant work… sly musical humour.

James Lowe, Conductor

Through our careful selection, and bee-like busyness, we have a huge repertoire which spans traditional, baroque, classical, romantic, easy listening, jazz and pop music. We've listed some of our favourites below, the ones we keep close at hand in our regular music pads - these are all our own arrangements. If you'd like a comprehensive list of our full repertoire, please download our full repertoire list.

I personally will never forget your beautiful and moving rendition of For The Love Of A Princess, one of my favourite pieces of music.

Conan McGayle, Wedding 23rd April 2011, Kilcambe Lodge

Custom Arrangements

If there's anything you'd specifically like us to play, please ask as it may not be in our regular pads. And if there's something you'd like to hear that isn't on our list, we'll be happy to arrange it for you - just get in touch to discuss. 

Favourite RSQ arrangements include:

• From Scottish and Irish traditional music…

  1. Londonderry Air
  2. Highland Cathedral
  3. My Love is Like a Red, Red Rose

• Through the Baroque Period…

  1. Pachelbel’s Canon in D
  2. Bach’s Orchestral Suites (including the Air on a G String), Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring, Sheep May Safely Graze and Sleepers Awake 
  3. Handel’s The Arrival of the Queen of Sheba and Zadok the Priest

• Via Classical works…

  1. Beethoven’s Ode to Joy 
  2. Mozart’s Laudate Dominum and Ave Verum Corpus
  3. Schubert’s Ave Maria

• To those of the Romantics & Impressionists…

  1. Debussy’s Clair de Lune
  2. Satie’s Gymnopédies
  3. Grieg’s Peer Gynt Suite (Including Morning, and In the Hall of the Mountain King)
  4. Elgars's Enigma Variations
  5. Holst's Planets Suite (including I Vow to Thee My Country)
  6. Ravel's Bolero (used by Torvill and Dean in the 1984 Winter Olympics)

• From Opera and Ballet Music…

  1. Overtures including The Marriage of Figaro, The Magic Flute (Mozart) and Ruslan and Ludmilla (Glinka)
  2. Arias such as O Mio Babbino Caro (From Puccini’s Gianni Schicchi), Ombra Mai Fu (Handel's Xerxes)
  3. Choruses such as the Anvil Chorus (Verdi's Il Trovatore)
  4. Instrumental interludes such as Meditation (Massenet's Thais)
  5. Selections from Tchaikovsky’s Nutcracker Suite, The Sleeping Beauty and Swan Lake
  6. Prokofiev's March of the Montagues and Capulets
  7. Orchestral works such as Brahms’ Hungarian Dances and Dvorák’s Slavonic Dances

• To hours’ worth of more popular & contemporary music…

  1. Music from shows such as Singin’ in the Rain, Girl Crazy and My Fair Lady to name but a few
  2. Film music, such as Braveheart, The Mission, La Vita e Bella and Breakfast at Tiffany’s
  3. Legendary songs, including Dream a Little Dream, What a Wonderful World, Can’t Take my Eyes off You and Fly Me to the Moon
  4. A large selection of pop songs from the likes of The Beatles, The Beach Boys and The Stone Roses
  5. Plenty of Cole Porter and Gershwin