Quartet Cameos of Ten Favourite String Quartet Movements

The name says it all: Quartet Cameos, 10 movements taken from their quartet of origin and performed as a series of encores. Some composers are represented twice: Schubert with the lyrical Andante from his A minor Quartet and the mercurial Scherzo from his E flat major Quartet, Mendelssohn with the soulful Intermezzo from his A minor Quartet and the elfin Canzonetta from his E flat major Quartet, and Haydn only in a manner of speaking with the gracious Allegretto from his G major Quartet and the lovely but spurious "Serenade" that seems to have been written by a Benedictine monk named Hoffstetter who said he loved Haydn so much he just couldn't help composing like him sometimes. Some composers are only represented once: Mozart with the muscular Minuet from his D minor Quartet, Tchaikovsky with the nostalgic Andante cantabile from his D major Quartet, Borodin with the seductive Nocturne from his D major Quartet, and, as a lark, Shostakovich with the lighter-than-air Scherzo from his C major Quartet. And, for variety's sake, some composers often found in quartet encore collections are not represented at all: where's Beethoven's Cavatina? where's Wolf's Italian Serenade? On balance, then, Quartet Cameos is a fair selection arranged in a satisfying program.
Unfortunately, this disc is undone by two critical failings. Most damaging are the aggressive yet sentimental performances by the Dartington Quartet. While no one could question the group's collective talents and abilities, its inclination to go for the interpretive jugular makes too much of each work's expressive content, turning the program into a series of shattering climaxes. In these performances, slow tempos tend to cloy, fast tempos tend to bludgeon, and what should be comfortable tempos tend to sound just a bit too hard pressed. Almost as damaging is the distant yet in-your-face recording by Amon Ra. Taped in stereo at an undisclosed location by producer Gef Lucena and David Wilkins, one has to strain to hear details of articulation in quiet passages, yet is nearly assaulted by the sforzandos in loud passages. In sum, then, Quartet Cameos has a fair selection in a satisfying program, but features flawed performances recorded in faulty sound -- and is thus not easily recommendable.