The old joke about waiting for a bus when three come along at once almost applies to the Juilliard Quartet’s three recordings of Bartók‚ except that the latest of them slyly crept up a back road while no one was looking. That was the digital 1981 cycle‚ reissued by Sony in the late 1990s as one of their Essential Classics Take 2 doubles‚ though unaccountably never officially released in the UK. Now‚ thanks to the enterprise of two independent operators‚ the Juilliard’s first two recordings are at long last reinstated. The legendary 1963 set appears on the newly launched‚ budget­price Retrospective label‚ dramatically recorded at close range‚ bronzed and steely­eyed to compare with the shaggy­haired Bohemian Bartók of the 1950 première cycle‚ which Pearl is also committing to CD for the first time. It’s a real privilege to be able to compare them‚ the earlier set wonder­struck‚ exploratory and just occasionally fazed by certain rhythmic complexities‚ the later version confident and forceful. The Retrospective transfers are fairly good save for the odd patch of tape drop out (such as at 4'33" into the first movement of the Fifth Quartet)‚ some hardness of tone and occasionally conspicuous tape edits. Generally speaking the sound quality is exciting‚ with pin­sharp instrumental positioning and vivid stereo interplay. It would have been nice if all six quartets had been accommodated on two discs‚ as Pearl managed to do. But no matter‚ these are‚ in the main‚ superlative performances‚ and to have them available so cheaply is a real boon. In the case of the first two quartets the odds between the ’50s and ’60s recordings are more or less evenly balanced. Both readings are intensely expressed‚ the 1950 Juilliard gaining extra ground in the Second Quartet for their intense handling of the nightmarish slow finale‚ the 1963 ensemble for their incisive delivery of the folk­like second movement. The most significant difference in personnel is between the cellists Arthur Winograd – who on the earlier set sounds as if he’s improvising his big solo in the Fourth’s central slow movement – and Claus Adam who in 1963 is more tonally alluring but less ‘earthy’. And yet the 1963 finale is so tightly bolted‚ its rhythms so clean and secure‚ that it has to be one of the ‘classic’ Bartók tracks. By contrast‚ the Third Quartet’s fiercely polarised dynamics were better projected in 1950‚ especially near the close of the work. When it comes to No 5‚ neither Juilliard version can claim the quasi­jazzy naturalness – an ease of gesture that only comes with total mastery of an idiom – that the Végh Quartet achieve on their second recording. Granted‚ Juilliard Mk II make great play with the Bulgarian­style Scherzo‚ but the Adagio molto second movement was more successfully sustained in 1950. As to the last quartet‚ with its potent blend of pathos and humour‚ the sheer beauty of tone that was the Juilliard’s special property in 1963 wins the day‚ with Claus Adam in particular surpassing himself. Memories of the Tokyo Quartet’s first recording (DG‚ 4/81 – nla) and the long­deleted Fine Arts (Saga‚ 4/62 and 4/63) remain clear‚ but the refinement and energy of the ’60s Juilliard is unique. What perhaps isn’t quite so clear­cut is the ultimate balance of virtues between these 1950 and 1963 recordings. First­timers would probably be better off with the stereo set: the sound is of course a good deal clearer than in 1950 and that tighter rhythmic grip does make a difference in the Second and Fourth Quartets. But as I’ve already suggested‚ the 1950 set has a sense of discovery about it as well as an extra degree of flexibility to its phrasing that is nearer in spirit to the Juilliard’s more relaxed 1981 digital re­make than to the viscerally exciting ’60s set. Add Pearl’s economical presentation and Robert Matthew­Walker’s unusually interesting annotation and the choice becomes more difficult. Personally‚ I would have to have both sets. But at least you’re not in danger of making a mistake. Both offer stellar reportage of the 20th century’s greatest cycle of string quartets.