Bela Bartok

*  String Quartets 1-6 (complete)

Belcea Quartet
EMI 0946 3 94400 2 3  Total time: 76:40 + 79:47.

Summary for the Busy Executive: You can do better.

Bartok's string quartets have long been considered not only central to
his achievement, but among the best quartets of the twentieth century.
I first collected the Juilliard complete LP set, a good introduction,
although the quartets back then were still considered "hard" new music,
and the sense of struggle was evident in the Juilliard's wiry readings.
Of the complete sets since, I've heard the Emerson, the Vegh, the Tatrai,
and the Takacs, as well as, now, the Belcea.  For me, the group to beat
is the Takacs on Decca, who play with an intensity and warmth unmatched
by the others.

Intensity and understanding are exactly what I miss from the Belcea,
who, as far as I'm concerned, merely play the notes, and I'm not thrilled
by either of the violinists, who lack the tone to support Bartok's big
moments.  They have done some nice Schubert and Mozart, but they seem
like they're struggling in the deep end of the pool here.  Unless you
want every complete set out there, there's almost no reason to buy this
one.

Steve Schwartz

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