The Debussy Quartet may indeed be “new interpreters” of Webern, as the title of this series indicates, but they seem to have little if anything that is new to say about this music. From the early late-romantic pieces to the later serial masterwork, the Quartet, Op. 28, their approach is safe, secure, but short on spontaneity. Webern’s expressionistic leanings are kept under firm control, and even in the more explosive moments of Op. 5 there’s no risk of emotions getting out of hand.
I’m all for treating Webern as a Modern Classic, yet I find more interpretative nuance and diversity in other recordings of this music – for example, the Arditti Quartet’s performances on Auvidis Montaigne, or – my personal preference – the Emerson Quartet on DG. The Emerson disc is a full-price issue, but it includes more music, notably a gripping account of one of Webern’s least ‘classic’ pieces, the String Trio, Op. 20, and is less weighted towards his worthy but rather routine juvenilia. The DG issue also has an even more satisfying recorded sound than this new Harmonia Mundi disc. '