These quartets in B flat and F are Mozart's last, and the Talich Quartet bring to them a gravity of utterance that may seem appropriate, even if there is no evidence that the composer was aware of penning any kind of testament. These ''Prussian'' quartets feature the cello, played here skilfully by Evzen Rattai, whose mellow tone one hears to the fore at once in the F major, which is played first.
This is affectionate playing from a fine ensemble, and I therefore regret that the close recording (which is also too reverberant) deprives the listener of a sense of space as well as soft tone—too often forte and piano are much the same. Still, the playing textures are subtle and this ensemble have a clear idea of where the music is going. The first violin's intonation may be suspect at the end of the second movement and after the seven-minute mark in the finale, but I find much to enjoy in the performance as a whole, not least the genially flowing finale and the Minuet with its surprisingly Grieg-like passages.
The recording seems more subtle in the Quartet in B flat, which is all to the good, and the playing is again sympathetic even if the triplet figures of the first movement sound strenuous. Evzen Rattai rises well to the challenge of the opening melody in the Larghetto, and the Talich play this movement with some tonal radiance although it could be still more poised—as could the Minuet that follows, which strikes me as effortful. To end this programme, the Adagio and Fugue in C minor comes across with its drama fully realized by the Talich Quartet—but again, I wish the recording had allowed a little more air around the music. For the quartets, the CRD coupling from the Chilingirian Quartet remains the prime recommendation.'