These CRD Mozart performances contrast sharply with Teldec’s reissues by the Alban Berg Quartet, which present the music more vividly and with an absolute technical precision that the Chilingirians don’t always match. Something you’ll notice across the board is that the Chilingirian Quartet does not possess the tonal allure and super-smooth ensemble that you can take for granted with the Bergs. Another issue concerns tempos, which here are more leisurely and relaxed in fast movements, the corollary being that dynamic gradations also are less extreme. But there’s more to consider, such as the many intensely personal and intimate moments enriching these Chilingirian traversals.
Take the Andante of K. 428, where intertwined chromatic exchanges are very beautifully handled. Tremendous care has been taken over balancing phrases and matching subtle details (like point of bow contact on the string) so that dialogues between first and second violin–and also those involving the viola–are seamlessly expressive. Another highlight is the Andante of K. 465 (“Dissonance”), in which the cello’s Alberti-bass accompaniment is superb and the yearning melodic passagework weaved above is eloquent but never over-romanticized.
Whereas the Chilingirians undoubtedly are expert in slow movements, they’re slightly less successful with Mozart’s brilliantly inventive allegros. For example, you’ll hear some unevenness of texture and several insufficiently defined entries in the fugal writing of K. 387’s finale, with occasional flaws in the first violin’s tuning (which can be slightly sharp in high registers). Sonically, CRD’s transfers are softer-grained and less up-front than Teldec’s, a condition that contributes to the recordings’ gentler dynamic character. Still, if you prefer Mozart interpretations with more gravitas than palpable exhilaration, you’ll likely enjoy this set. A final gripe, though, is that picture editors everywhere should pay more heed to getting cover images correctly oriented–the 18th-century players pictured here all have their bows and instruments reversed!
