The Guarneri Quartet is perhaps the most highly regarded and prestigious American ensemble of its kind now before the public, and there is no doubt that their accounts of Opp. 127 and 135 are superbly played. So for that matter is the Vermeer Quartet's Teldec recording listed above. But first of all, to dispose of the comparison, I should say that the Guarneri are recorded in a more resonant acoustic and the sound is altogether warmer and more satisfying than their rivals. They dig into the opening chords of Op. 127 as if their lives depend on it and produce a beautifully rich yet slightly rough-hewn sonority. Like the Alban Berg Quartet, whose account is similarly coupled and announced for issue by EMI later this year on CD (at the moment these quartets are only available as part of a four-LP/CD set), they have splendid unanimity and a sumptuous tonal blend. But again, like the Alban Berg, theirs are 'public' performances rather than 'private' music-making oratory rather than more intimate utterance. Of course, in saying this, I realize that I am indulging in over-simplification, and would not wish to convey the impression that these readings are shallow—rather that there are others that plumb greater depths.
As DJF wrote when discussing the Vermeer's Op. 131 in February (Teldec/ASV), put on the Talich (Calliope/Harmonia Mundi) or the Vegh (Auvidis/Pinnacle) and you enter another world; the music seems from ''a different dimension … like some awesome ceremony wherein pure wisdom is glimpsed''. Listen to the Guarneri in the slow movement of Op. 127 and you will see what I mean. It is beautifully played though the vibrato may be too intense for some tastes, but the feeling seems just a little too overheated. I find their expressive vehemence earlier on in the first movement of Op. 127 over-emphatic and I grew very tired of the mannerism in the finale where the players 'lean' on the phrase at bar 8 on each appearance. I'm afraid that this would weigh heavily against the chances of them being often taken down from my shelves. Others may not feel so strongly about this and to be fair, there is also much to admire. Tempos are well chosen and there is ample evidence of finesse and intelligence and abundant witness to their accomplishment and virtuosity. As a recording it is among the very best, but it would still be difficult to recommend it in preference to the Lindsay (ASV—in a four-CD set (CD) CDDC5403), the Vegh and the Talich.'