6/1996

In Tune

Truly, we're living through a golden age of fine string quartet playing. Hardly a month goes by without some superb Quartet popping up - more than one can deal with. Even so, the Amati Quartet, founded in 1981, represents something extra special on this disc. They've already won the Deutscher Schallplatten award in Germany for their Szymanowski-Ravel disc, and a «choc» in France for Haydn's Op. 77. But this new set of Bartok's three most important quartets can still astound. Every fine detail is exactly in place, heavily laced with ferocity and passionate percussion effects. The Amati players manage to sound both wild and perfectly under controlled. Intonation and ensemble are awesome in their polish, and where necessary, strong elements of wit pop up. (The sarcastic Burletta in the Sixth Quartet, for example, is a hoot.) Beauty of sound is also outstanding, close to the standards of the old Hollywood Quartet recordings. One has not heard a recording of the Bartoks like these since the Juillard Quartet's first Columbia set in the early 1950's. (The Juilliard's second cycle for stereo did not quite match the vitality of their first, but these performance do.) In audiophile sonics, this is, quite simply, the best ever recording of the Bartok Quartets. It seems impossible I know, but hear and believe. (One assumes that Divox will soon give us the other three Quartets. Indeed, that's imperative!) Essential!