The Emerson Quartet always can be counted on to give performances of superb technical polish, and I don’t say that to damn these performances with faint praise. They are beautifully played. However, there’s also no question that some of the music’s explosive emotion is missing. A classic example of this occurs at the theoretically stunning outburst at the climax of the Second quartet’s third movement. Here, the clarity of the accompanying ostinato threatens to overwhelm the melody in the first violin, and gives the whole passage a stiff, mechanical quality. Similarly, the First quartet’s finale fails to generate the sort of heedless momentum that it ideally needs, while the first movement, oddly enough, sounds just a bit rushed.
On the other hand, there are more than a few illustrious moments. The eerie ponticello tremolos in the First quartet’s second movement have wonderful atmosphere, and the Second quartet’s finale, including the difficult closing pages, goes splendidly. The Martinu Madrigals are also extremely beautiful, rhythmically snappy, and just about as well done as they can be. I’d like to hear the entire ensemble take on the composer’s quartets (fat chance of that, I suppose). In the quartets the sonics strike me as a bit too close, with the cello excessively prominent. In sum, this is good, at times very good, but not as great as it could have been. [7/6/2009]
