The gathering of these four very distinguished musicians resulted in some of the most dynamic chamber concertizing immediately at the end of the war. Henry Holst (b. 1899), a pupil of Axel Gade, had been leader of the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra from 1923 to 1931. By 1931, Herbert Downes (1909-2004), a student of Paul Beard and Carl Flesch, held the viola desk in the Henry Holst Quartet. In 1935, Downes was leading his own quartet. Anthony Pini (1902-1989) had recorded the Schubert C major Quintet and the Brahms B flat major Sextet (No. 1) with the Pro Arte Quartet (for HMV) during the 1930s. In 1940 Herbert Downes moved to the BBC Scottish Orchestra and from there to the Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, and from 1945 to 1974 became principal viola of the Philharmonia Orchestra. Henry Holst and Anthony Pini were together with Louis Kentner in a 1941 Columbia Records account of the DvořákDumky Trio, and again with Solomon in the BeethovenArchduke Trio in 1943. The Philharmonia Quartet was performing at Manchester in 1945 (the year in which Holst began teaching at the Royal College of Music). It gave the premiere of the William Walton A minor Quartet at the Prague Spring Festival in 1947, and thereafter repeated it at home (e.g. Aberdeen Chamber Society, February 1948). Its performance in the Brahms F minor Quintet with Clifford Curzon was considered 'exhilarating'. Its 1945 Columbia Records 78rpm recording of the Mozart clarinet quintet with Reginald Kell (the earlier of Kell's versions) was highly praised.
Columbia recording 78 rpm Beethoven Quartet op.59 n°1 members Holst-Wise-Riddle-Pini.
