While alternative versions abound on LP, the Alban Berg Quartet have the field to themselves in Op. 18 on CD. When they first appeared, JOC wrote in enthusiastic terms, recommending them as ''a first choice for anyone about to invest in these works for the first time''. Indeed, she preferred them to the Quartetto Italiano on Philips: ''the Alban Berg's greater vitality and tension evoke a younger and more virile composer''. Since then we have had LP versions from the Lindsay (ASV), the Gabrieli (Decca), the Juilliard (CBS), and, most recently, from the Melos Quartet of Stuttgart (DG), and one can reasonably expect some or all of these to appear on CD in the not too distant future.
The strongest front-runner to my mind is the Lindsay set but the Alban Berg undoubtedly offer the greater polish and finesse. Having written about all these later rivals at the time of their release on LP, I will not detail their respective merits again, but merely say that CD collectors are unlikely to do better than this new Alban Berg set for a long time. The playing is immaculate and the sound has all the usual advantages of the new medium, excellent definition, presence and body. Strongly recommended.'