There are some works that are so glorious that a mere minute or two in their company is enough to inspire a voluntary comparative listening session. Dvo·ák’s D minor Quartet is up there towards the top of my list of favourites‚ a work thrown off in a mere 11 days during 1877 (though later revised) and as musically rich as anything he composed. The dedication to Brahms tells most obviously in the strutting poco allegro finale which the 40­year­old Delmé Quartet (this is their anniversary release) play with delightful nonchalance. By comparison‚ the Panocha Quartet seem businesslike and the Prague Quartet (their unmissable complete Dvo·ák quartet cycle for DG is budget­price)‚ a wonderful group‚ almost too earnest. The Prague score in the alla polka second movement where you’d swear the spirit of Rafael Kubelík was hovering somewhere in the studio: it has the sort of lilting‚ rustic edge – a shapely legato tailed by a tangy staccato – which was Kubelík’s hallmark. The Delmé aren’t quite that idiomatic but they excel in the glowing Adagio‚ taken very slowly but tellingly sustained for the duration. Incidentally‚ if you fancy shelling out just a fiver or so for the D minor‚ the sweet­toned American Quartet are also well worth considering. The late A flat Quartet faces strong competition from The Lindsays and the Prague Quartet‚ both of which make more than do the Delmé of the first movement’s joyous Allegro appassionato. I liked the Delmé’s affable scherzo and thought the finale a valid interpretation of Dvo·ák’s prescribed Allegro non tanto‚ though intonation isn’t always totally true and some passages are rather lacking in drama (the introduction‚ for example). It’s a good‚ well thought­through performance‚ clearly recorded in a somewhat cavernous acoustic‚ but not as memorable as their D minor which alone serves a worthy birthday tribute to this fine ensemble.