II. Golden Gate

Using the first movement of Beethoven's String Quartet No. 4 (which captured Beamish's imagination when she played in her first string quartet, at the age of 14) as a starting point, and influenced by a visit in Californa where the directness and honesty of the composers and performers impressed her greatly, as did the immediate, warm response of Californian audiences. Beamish's piece is strongly influenced by this, and represents an 'opening-up' of her own language, while offering a light-hearted angle both on the Beethoven and on the American experince.
BBC Music Magazine: outstanding; Gramophone: outstanding, Music Web International: outstanding; Classics Today: outstanding.