This young Spanish quartet, whose previous CD of the Arriaga quartets was highly praised here (1/04), now move on to somewhat different repertoire. The performance of the Debussy is most persuasive, making use of a subtle, natural-sounding rubato that seems just right for the music’s period and style. It’s very different from the Belcea Quartet’s brighter-sounding, more classical account. By contrast, the excellent ensemble of the Casals in the second movement has an air of nonchalance, the lyrical moments sensual and slightly languid. The first movement is unusually urgent, and the finale, which in some performances leaves a piecemeal impression, has here a compelling sense of continuity.

The Zemlinsky, a complex work with a remarkably large dynamic and emotional span, is given a thoughtful, effective performance. A major asset of this group is their wide range of tone colour, from silky soft (track 5, 4’11”) to ferociously intense (track 7, 5’19”), and the clarity and vividness of the playing encourages us to penetrate beyond the slightly ‘difficult’ initial impression to an appreciation of the music’s many beauties. I wouldn’t put this quite on a level with the Artis Quartet’s 1998 account, however. Even if the expressive Viennese style of the Artis (in itself a highly attractive characteristic) limits its tonal palette, and if some chordal passages aren’t as finely balanced as with the Casals, the performance as a whole has greater conviction; the fantastical character of the Scherzo, for example, is brought out more strongly.