The Ying Quartet’s aggressive and gritty Souvenir de Florence (which opens this set) sets the tone for its entire Tchaikovsky cycle. The players’ approach exemplifies “digging in” to the strings, with every accent and expressive marking realized to its fullest extent. The ensemble also is pretty gutsy when it comes to rhythm–you are aware of every beat in Souvenir’s ferociously dancing first and last movements, as well as in the more animated passages of parallel movements in the quartets. The Ying also excels in the more lyrical passages, as in its tender, lullaby-like rendering of Quartet No. 1’s Andante cantabile, or the big tune in No. 3’s introduction, which here is reminiscent of the sad Andante (No. 4) from the Swan Lake Suite.
However, the Ying’s muscular approach occasionally results in some raw tone, an impression reinforced by the rather hard-edged, close-perspective recording that’s quite different in sonic character from most other Telarc productions with their warmth and sense of depth. Still, having the players practically in-your-face is undeniably involving, even if I prefer the more spacious acoustic EMI provides for the St. Lawrence Quartet in its fine renditions of Nos. 1 & 3. But performance-wise, the Ying, with its unrestrained enthusiasm and cocksure virtuosity, is the choice for modern recordings. Telarc’s two-for-one pricing sweetens the deal.
