This release by
The Brodsky Quartet, with the young cellist
Laura van der Heijden, marks the quartet's 50th anniversary; remarkably, there are still two original members. One would expect a landmark performance, and that is what listeners get. It is a restrained reading, free of the cello growls that marked classic recordings by
Pablo Casals and
Mstislav Rostropovich; this is a matter of taste but may be preferable. The most remarkable aspect is the treatment of the slow movement and of the second subjects in the opening Allegro ma non troppo and the Allegretto finale. The players take just the slightest amount of time in these, and it may require more than one hearing to grasp what they are doing. The result is a really delicate, ethereal feel that downplays the dance element. It is a fresh interpretation by one of the best chamber ensembles in the business. Bringing down the curtain is the single-movement Quartettsatz, D. 703, and here, the ensemble hikes the energy for a brisk finale. The coordination these players have developed over the decades is on full display everywhere, and this recording should become a cornerstone of chamber music libraries. ~ James Manheim