This latest Hagen Quartet disc provides inspiring confirmation of how great music constantly renews itself. That ‘perennial newness’ is evident from the ferocious opening bars of Op. 95 (more furioso than serioso), through the concise arguments that follow, to the Allegretto’s contrapuntal purity, the startled Scherzo and the nervously lilting finale. Virtually every bar carries its own neon light, whether read off the page or, as presented here, with maximum drama and inflexional expression. Switch to DG’s other star-rated digital version, by the Emerson Quartet, and although the tempo is only marginally slower (specifically in the first movement), the style and phrasing are entirely different – sweeter and more openly demonstrative than the Hagen, less inflected and agitated. My current preference is, by a hair’s breadth, for the Hagen Quartet.
Schubert’s glacial G major is given an even more remarkable reading. I was initially reminded of the Juilliard Quartet’s first recording (Columbia). Both versions shiver rather than shimmer, though the Hagen’s fine-tipped tone production accentuates the feeling of epic chill, and so does the repeated six-minute exposition. That wonderful moment at 15'08'' when the recapitulation summons a beam or two of sunlight (Schubert momentarily reverting to type) comes off especially well, and so does the clipped return of the second set.
The Andante’s opening melody is chaste and a little distracted, rather like a chamber-music equivalent of Winterreise’s hurdy-gurdy. The savage interjections at 2'54'' have rarely sounded angrier (they gain a further notch of intensity for their second appearance at 6'27''), and the Scherzo’s tart outer sections are offset by a soft-textured Trio. The uneasy finale sounds like an inebriated half-brother to the parallel movement from Death and the Maiden, full of quiet point-making and ghostly half-lights.
Attentive listening locates a wealth of colour in both performances and the recordings have impressive clarity. Good digital alternatives of the Schubert are plentiful, with the Emerson Quartet (appropriately coupled with Beethoven’s Op. 135), Leipzig Quartet, the later Melos and the Takacs leading in the Schubert, though the Emerson stands alone with the most striking alternative digital Op. 95. My own inclination is to try this new release come what may. Any collector whose experience of this music does not incorporate the Hagen viewpoint will be much the poorer for it. An outstanding release.'