If these performances initially sound more up-front than Domus on Hyperion, that's largely because the recording places the listener closer to the players, though even then the sound has a slight pallor. These new versions don't lack energy or feeling: I was particularly impressed by the cello/piano dialogues at the beginning of the slow movement of the Second Quartet; all the same, the involvement seems more consistent in the Domus reading, the expression richer and more varied. The Lento of No. 2 also seems more episodic in this performance. And I can't help noticing that in the new version many of the most impressive contributions come from the cello and the piano; violinist Mahlon Darlington is a little too laid back for my liking. However, Domus's Susan Tomes is just that bit more elegant in some of the more difficult piano figurations: the difficult quasi trillo sextuplets in the first movement are a good example. No, on reflection the Ames don't have the poise or the tonal and expressive subtlety of Domus in the Second Quartet—nor is there enough 'Brahmsian' raptness in the finale's gorgeous second theme. A clear choice there.
Turning to the First Quartet, however, I do like the Ames's more sweeping manner in the first movement—are Domus just a little over-particular here? Comparison is harder in this work: both performances have plenty to offer, but since the Second Quartet is by far the greater work, and it's presumably for this start that most buyers will want the disc, Domus must remain at the top of the list.'