Amadeus Quartet. Foroverthree decades, from their debut in 1948, the Amadeus Quartet was the major British string quartet. Geoffrey Smith explores some of their recordings made by the BBC, including a performance with one of their favourite collaborators, Clifford Curzon , in Cesar Franck 's Piano Quintet in F minor. The Amadeus Quartet is featured in the award-winning BBC Legends CDs, available in shops now