Sometimes, when a performance doesn’t seem to go just right on CD, one’s bad impression is not caused by any one weakness but is occasioned by a composite of deficits. I think that is the case here. These performances are merely “okay”. All the notes are there and they are played in tune, but the four players don’t really seem to get into the music at hand. The Ravel fails right from the beginning, where the phrasing and a sense of forward motion seems elusive. Add recorded sound that is distant and remote and you have a recording that has no character or personality. Rather than spend more time analyzing what’s wrong, it would be far better to check out one of the reference recordings that is right, including the Vlach Quartet version that received an enthusiastic review for this site (see reviews). The Fauré can be obtained in an excellent digitally re-mastered Vox Box, which also contains a good backup performance of the Ravel by the New Hungarian Quartet. Finally, this CD could not be recommended even if it did not have the problems mentioned. A mysterious, subterranean sound cuts in and out during both quartets, being most prominent in the first movement of the Fauré. If you have a subwoofer, as I do, it will drive you nuts, and anyone having a sound system with a good low end will certainly find it bothersome.
