This is exactly the kind of recording made for Arkivmusic.com’s “on demand” program. Cherubini’s quartets are fine works; they have always been respected but never have been especially popular (no fault of the music–it’s really good stuff!). Nevertheless, fans of chamber music, especially from the Classical period, will eventually want to add them to their collections–and on balance, this is their finest recording (not that there have been many). The Melos Quartet plays with beautiful tone, plenty of vigor in the allegros, and a warm sonority that never turns soggy but at the same time blows away the raspy buzz of so many period-instrument groups. The mid-’70s sonics are very good, if not state-of-the-art by today’s standards. Original booklet notes are included; there is nothing second-rate about the production values at all. In short, it’s very nice to know that this set is out there, an ideal choice for string quartet collectors.
