These celebrated recordings by the Hollywood Quartet first appeared in 1958 and had to wait for almost a quarter of a century before they were reissued (EMI, 12/82). At long last, thanks to the enterprise of Testament, they have made it on to CD, some 40 years after they were actually recorded. Their appearance on three CDs is a cause for rejoicing and celebration. In their day I thought them (along with the Budapest set on Philips, 7/56, 2/57, 6/57 and 11/57 – nla) the next best thing after the Busch which had disappeared from currency even before the end of the shellac era (though now available on a four-disc EMI set, as above). Not that they are above criticism – the Heiliger Dankgesang is a shade too fast and there are times (at the beginning of Op. 127 for example) when the tonal production is almost symphonic. But the playing is consistently selfless and always immaculate. As I said in my 1982 review of the HMV Treasury transfers the Grosse Fuge is altogether “stunning”, the breathtaking virtuosity this ensemble commanded always placed at the service of musical ends. They are authoritative performances of real stature whose praises have been sung often and loudly – and more to the point, rightly.
I don’t possess the original Capitol LPs but I can report that the Testament transfers compare favourably with the HMV LPs, with a richer detail in the bottom end of the range. Desmond Shawe-Taylor’s original notes on the music are replaced by an excellent note on the Hollywood Quartet itself. An important and valuable reissue.'