Yael Fisch ([log in to unmask]) wrote: >i too own the complete set with italiano on philips. yet, i'd rather >listen to the Alban Berg Quartet any day.... maybe it's the 131 with >italiano that kills me... The AB's have an apparent tendency to concentrate on precision and tone at the expense of emotion and intellect. I don't find this as disturbing as some do, and it is far more noticable on their earlier (studio) cycle than on the later (live) one, but it would certainly rule them out as a first choice for me. BTW I heartily second the recommendation of the Vegh Quartet, dunno how I overlooked them before. Deryk Barker [log in to unmask]