I missed these performances first time round. The two Op. 59 Quartets are accommodated on the first disc in a little over an hour by omitting repeats and opting for rather brisk tempos. Elsewhere in the Op. 18 set they observe first movement exposition repeats, omitting them only in No. 1 in F. The opening of Op. 59, No. 3 has a fine sense of mystery and throughout they show a refined sense of dynamic nuance even if the playing is not always penetrating. The slow movements of both are far too fast.
In reviewing the Op. 59 quartets, Jerrold Northrop Moore found the sound ''rather close and unresonant, unremittingly bright and sharply favouring the upper registers''. This has been somewhat tamed in these transfers, which if played at a lower-than-usual level setting can be made to yield perfectly satisfactory results. In his review of the Op. 18 works, Max Harrison admired the first movement of the A major, No. 5 (''a fine display of force and refinement''), and a ''beautiful account of the Adagio of No. 6'', but complained of a lack of commitment elsewhere. I must say that on balance, none of the three quartet discs would be my first choice in this repertoire. In the Op. 18, the Quartetto Italiano (Philips) at mid-price are even more beautifully played and recorded, and find far more meaning in this music.
The performance of the E flat Trio, Op. 3, by Denes Kovacs, Geza Nemeth and Ede Banda is eminently civilized but by no means as deeply felt and certainly not as well recorded as the Cummings Trio (Unicorn-Kanchana). The present issue has an unpleasing edge above the stave. Summing up, these performances are in many ways accomplished but in today's crowded market they are not strongly competitive.'