The Hesperides Quartet have taken their name from the world of Greek mythology, where the Hesperides (hess-PAIR-ih-deez) are nymphs who tend a blissful garden in a far western corner of the world. They are responsible for guarding a sacred grove or tree that produced golden apples which, when eaten, conferred immortality. The Hesperides are associated with sunset and the evening, and were said to take great pleasure in singing.

Although the members of the Hesperides Quartet are not claiming to be semi-divine in nature, they do share a strong interest in gardening and enjoy bringing music to their audiences in the evening. The ‘golden apple of immortality’ is their commitment to making the music of composers from the past live in the present, and their faithfulness to the spirit of the composers whose music they have chosen to play.

Picture: The Garden of Hesperides by Ricciardo Meacci (Italy, 1856–1900)