Police close down family string quartet playing classical music for their neighbours claiming they are breaking coronavirus lockdown rules
- Rafael Todes, 53, had been playing with family outside property in West London
- Police officers arrived and said it may encourage residents to gather on street
- Musical family had been playing Shostakovich’s String Quartet No4 in garden
- Written by Shostakovich when scared he would be arrested by Stalin’s men
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An impromptu classical orchestra was shut down after police feared it would cause quarantined neighbours to flout lockdown measures amid the coronavirus outbreak.
Violinist Rafael Todes, 53, a member of the Allegri String Quartet, his wife Helena Newman, and children Isabella and Max, had been performing Shostakovich’s String Quartet No4 when police arrived to their property in west London.
The family, who had been performing their ensemble from their front garden, were told by the two officers that their music may encourage residents to gather on the street.
Violinist Rafael Todes, 53, his wife Helena Newman, and children Isabella and Max, from west London, were asked by police to stop performing
The family, who had been performing their ensemble from their front garden, had been performing Shostakovich’s String Quartet No4
Footage filmed by the family showed one of the officers apologetically tell them: ‘I don’t enjoy this part of the job but it’s going to keep causing the street to keep gathering. I’m not here to fine you don’t worry but the whole street can’t be doing this.
‘I hear what you’re doing, it’s good music but obviously it’s going to keep causing the street to block. I do apologise, it’s very good.’
A message on the musician’s Facebook page later read: ‘The final pop-up Alexander Street Quartet Concert. Shostakovich’s 4th Quartet closed down by the Police -tactfully!’
Mr Todes, who is a teacher at the Royal Academy of Music and whose wife plays the viola, said that the family first began their street performances after a resident requested a performance for another neighbour’s birthday.
The talented instrumentalists have since been sharing their small concerts on Facebook with Mr Todes’ daughter Isabella, 17, playing the violin and his son Max playing the cello.
The violinist told The Daily Telegraph: ‘About five weeks ago a neighbour asked us during lockdown whether we could do a little concert for the lady who lived upstairs.
‘So we did that and people in the street watched and somebody said ”you’ve got to do this again next week”.’
Mr Todes, who is a teacher at the Royal Academy of Music, later shared the footage on Facebook
The officers who had been patrolling the west London street told the family that their ensemble might cause more residents to flout the lockdown measures
Residents on the street had been listening to the small family concert before it was put to a stop
The violinist, who will now put his public concerts on hold following the officers advice, added that there was a certain irony that the very piece of music the family had been playing had been written by Shostakovich when he was terrified of being arrested by Joseph Stalin’s regime.
He added: ‘Just before we played, I gave a little speech about Shostakovich and how he was out of favour when he wrote this and he was terrified that he was going to be arrested by Stalin’s people.’
The scene comes as Prime Minister Boris Johnson prepares to warn Britons that relaxing the social distancing measures could lead to a second wave of the virus.
Mr Johnson is expected to set out his latest plans on social restrictions this evening when he leads the daily Downing Street press conference and will also express his concerns with easing the lockdown too soon.
Recent death toll figures show that the virus has now claimed the lives of more than 26,000 people in the UK.
Police feared the musical performance from the family’s front garden would encourage neighbours to break the lockdown