The Orlando Quartet was rightly acclaimed in these columns only a few months ago for their record of two Haydn quartets from the Erdody set, Op. 76 (Philips 6514 204, 8/83) when RG spoke of their quite exceptional quality, unusually wide dynamic range, marvellous rhythmic sense and flawless ensemble. The playes hail from four different countries: the leader is Hungarian, the second violin German, the violinist Austrian and the cellist Romanian, and since the mid-1970s they have made their base The Netherlands. As far as collectors in this country are concerned, they leapt to prominence with a superb coupling of the Dvorak American Quartet, Op. 96 and the Mendelssohn E flat, Op. 12 (Philips 9500 995, 7/81). Accordingly, I turned to the present coupling with the eager anticipation.
They open the Debussy with splendid attack, so much so that I was momentarily deceived into thinking they were faster than the metronome marking (minim = 63) but this is not the case. They have a wide dynamic range yet rarely does one feel that any detail is exaggerated. At seven bars after fig. 1, however, comes a sudden drop in pitch that sounds as if a different 'take' must have been chosen, and later on in the movement (at the marking En serrant le Mouvement a few bars before fig. 5) there is another discernible pitch change. Publication of this review has been delayed so that enquiries could be set in motion to clarify the position and discover whether ours was the authorized version. The producer assures us, however, that there were no edits at these points and I can only draw the conclusion that these are problems of intonation. The playing itself is so characterful throughout and is so vividly recorded that I wish I could report that these lapses were of no moment. The Scherzo is exhilarating and vital yet always sensitive and the slow movement is intense and poetic. The viola at fig. 12 sounds flat but given all the things that are right, it would be quite wrong to dwell on a trivial blemish.
The Ravel quartet is wonderfully passionate in the Orlando's hands and they press it to greater expressive extremes than do the Melos Quartet of Stuttgart on DG. Of course, they play with a superb artistry and feeling, though some will find the greater restraint of the Melos is more telling in the slow movement. There is another disturbing lurch in pitch in the slow movement though some may not find this so disconcerting as the ones in the Debussy, though I must confess it made me feel distinctly queasy. What a glorious sound the Orlando produce though, and how splendidly they have been served by the engineers! However, my vote goes to the Melos who are also excellently recorded. Even though its age shows when played immediately after this newcomer, I would add that the Quartetto Italiano version listed as SAL3643, now changed to LY835361, still remains very good indeed. Were Philips to reissue at mid-price, it would be difficult to make a choice.
The CD Version of the Orlando is of striking clarity and presence, bringing the players into even stronger relief. However the reservations I made above still stand. Since this issue has collected golden opinions on the continent, it is obvious that the points of intonation I have noted will worry some collectors less than others and in the absence of any CD rival, you may feel inclined to overlook them. On LP, as I have said, the Melos remains the first recommendation.'