One of the most striking features of the Franz Schubert Quartet's new issue of Mozart string quartets is their remarkable ability to reveal the close relationship between internal material and external form. For example, the omission of the first-movement exposition repeat in the C major Quartet de-emphasizes the resolution of its darkly dramatic, dissonant slow introduction into the sunnier realm of the following Allegro, and allows the Schubert Quartet's warm-toned, broadly-phrased, expressive playing in the Andante cantabile more poignantly to recall the darker mood of the work's opening. Ultimately, resolution is reserved for the finale (where they do include the exposition repeat) to provide a triumphantly cheerful conclusion. By contrast, in their justly acclaimed version from the late 1970s, the Alban Berg Quartet adopt a policy of repeats which is the exact reverse of that of the Schubert Quartet which, with a sharper focus on the dramatic content of individual movements, helps to give their performance just a shade more spontaneity.
The Schubert Quartet's performance of the F major Quartet, K590 provides further evidence of this group's fluent and intelligent musicality. A preference for Mozart's original Allegretto tempo indication for the second movement, and their decision not to play the exposition repeat in the evocatively rustic finale, produce an immensely satisfying sense of overall coherence. The Talich Quartet sound somewhat austere and over-civilized, by comparison—an effect heightenedby a dry acoustic and close recording. The Schubert Quartet are blessed with warm, spacious sound which vividly captures their infectious vitality.'