Run your eye down the titles on the back of either the case or the booklet, and the marking Menuetto Scherzo for the third movement of the Second Quartet will stand out as an oddity. Was Arriaga uncertain about what he wanted? Or was he offering players a choice? The Chilingirian present it as a Minuet, and rather a dainty one at that. The Arriaga Quartet are robust but hedge their bets, though the slightly drawn- out style suggests a Minuet. No such uncertainty with the New Vlach Quartet, who settle for a decisive Scherzo through a tightly knit rhythm and incisive accentuation. The interpretation fits into the context of the music.
The Arriaga are looser-limbed in their overall approach, leading to some loss of dramatic tension in, say, the opening movements of both the First and Third Quartets. Sonorities are full, too, but they could be graded better to suit the characteristics of each instrument. Above forte, in particular, the lines lose transparency and merge into a wash of solid tone. These musicians need more corporate experience but their excellence as individuals is not in doubt. This is clearly heard in the ‘Theme and Variations’ movement of No 2, where independence within a group is sensitively asserted, the violist even playing the first-time bars of his variation an octave lower. Ensemble placement is too wide, but otherwise the recording is very good. Nevertheless, turn to the New Vlach Quartet for a more penetrating view of these works.'