Mozart’s dedication of six quartet masterpieces to Haydn extends‚ in the hands of the Hagen Quartet‚ to Bartók‚ Janá¶ek and Shostakovich. This is Mozart viewed from the sensitised standpoint of the 20th century: the transforming power of ‘Hagenisms’ – tiny brush strokes from an amazingly varied tonal palette – makes every Mozartian nerve end glow. Hardly a bar passes without some heightened dynamic‚ rhythmic or colouristic effect. Indeed‚ had the players’ judgement been less acutely attuned to formal argument‚ the musical upshot of so much interpretative commentary would have been both exhausting and infuriating. But there’s also good hard thinking behind the notes‚ the sort of informed radicalism that Glenn Gould brought to Bach. Everything here makes musical sense. Put on K387 and listen to the improvisational violin cadenzas at the start of the development (3'40"). Think about it for a moment and‚ yes‚ that’s precisely what the writing suggests. The angry opening gesture of the Minuet’s trio meets with an imploring response‚ initially softened by a touch of portamento. And by keeping the finale’s quiet fugal opening calm‚ the Hagens maximise the animated writing that follows in its wake. They also score in the imaginative way they handle the witty ‘false ending’‚ making the final climax sound conclusive – which‚ in the event‚ it isn’t. But were I to single out just one passage in this remarkable set that typifies their high levels of perception it would be the centre section of the same movement (from around 3'13") where quietly weaving counterpoint is subject to subtle harassment from fragments of the main argument. Turn to the newly reissued Talich Quartet on Calliope for comparison (part of their complete Mozart quartet cycle) and the effect is entirely different: straighter‚ sweeter‚ more even in tone and delivery. The sombre D minor Quartet‚ K421‚ a reissue from 1997‚ again uses subtle exaggeration to focus the music’s character‚ which in this case is tragic‚ or at least profoundly unsettled. The Andante has just the right sense of breathless hesitation and how beautiful the shift into the major at 3'25". Note the urgency of the Menuetto (the Talich are far more muted here) and‚ again‚ the drama effected by a contrasting trio‚ this time coyly elegant. The opening of K428 in E flat is a good example of the Hagens’ all­but­suspending vibrato. The same movement exhibits a tendency to extend pauses fractionally beyond their natural length (such as at 1'19") though the broad‚ singing sonority that heads the development (at 4'28") is one of many compensating virtues. The Talich offer a more central reading‚ luminous and intimate but without the Hagens’ extremes of gesture. The Hunt (K458) opens with irresistible buoyancy‚ waving the gentlest of goodbyes near the end of the repeated exposition (4'08") before the development steals in. It’s a wonderful moment. The Minuet’s opening enjoys a delicious‚ gipsy­style lilt and the finale’s argumentative counterpoint has real drive. Ease of phrase and gesture distinguishes the exposition of K464 though the mood intensifies significantly for a heated development. Fluidity returns for the Andante‚ so shapely‚ so seductive and‚ in its inventive variations‚ startlingly prophetic of late Beethoven (especially the militaristic cello writing set against gliding upper strings at 8'18"). I expected that the Hagens would cue a gently attenuated Adagio for the Dissonant Quartet’s opening: they don’t disappoint‚ but here the Quartetto Italiano’s breadth and fragility remain unrivalled. Broadly speaking‚ the Hagen’s Mozart is a hive of interpretative activity with constantly shifting hues and just an occasional hint of self­consciousness. The only variable in the Talich set concerns the sound‚ specifically in relation to acoustics and reverberation‚ which tend to alter from one recording to another. Also volume levels between principal works and their ‘fill­ups’ are sometimes inconsistent. The playing‚ though‚ is consistently warm and yielding‚ ‘Classical’ in the truest sense of the term but not without expressive variety. I particularly admire their vibrant account of K499. Both ensembles play essential repeats but of course the Talich performances are part of a far larger collection. Calliope’s discs appear much as they did at the time of their first release‚ which means the addition of violin sonatas (nicely played by the Quartet’s leader Petr Messiereur) and Haydn’s Rider Quartet plus Eine kleine Nachtmusik (with an uncredited double­bassist) and the Divertimenti for strings K136­8. The keenest bargain competition comes from Philips whose aristocratic Quartetto Italiano set falls‚ in overall style‚ somewhere between the Talich’s honeyed urbanity and the Hagen’s studied dynamism. Quartetto Italiano would probably be my first choice overall but the Hagens offer so much food for musical thought that only the most closed­minded listener is likely to disapprove. I strongly recommend it and would additionally commend the Talich to those readers who like their Mozart tender­hearted but relatively understated.