Tchaikovsky

String Quartets No 1 in D, Op 11; No 3 in E flat minor, Op 30

St Lawrence Quartet (Geoff Nuttall, Barry Schiffman 17178 Lesley Robertson aa Marina Hoover cc) EMI CDC5 67144-2 (70 minutes: DOD) ! String Quartets —No 1 in D, Op 11; No 2 in F, Op 22. String Quartet Movement in B flat Endellion Quartet (Andrew Watkinson, Ralph de Souza ms Garfield Jackson zw David Waterman vc) CRD Fl CR03501 (76 minutes: ODD)

Two fine releases, although neither quite equals the classic accounts by the Borodins

Opp 11, 22, 30, Quartet movement - selected comparison: &radii] (2, (1/94) (IRD) 4509-90422-2

Any good new recording of Tchaikovskv quartets is welcome; it's not yet sufficiently recognised, in my view, how supremely imaginative is his writing for strings. But each contender has the difficult task of matching the Borodin Quartet's 1993 two-disc set (including the Souvenir de Florence sextet). The Borodin's intensely vocal style, achieved without :my loss of rhythmic precision or vitality, enables them to project all the powerful emotional colours that are an essential hallmark of Tchaikovsky's style. But the Endellion and St Lawrence Quartets both show they have much to offer as Tchaikovsly interpreters.

The Endellions, given a beautifully clear, bright recording, play the outer movements of the D major Quartet in a delightfully fresh, spontaneous manner, the luminous textures relating the music to the classical quartet literature. If the Borodin's more soulful performance gives a feeling of greater depth, this doesn't make the Endellions any less convincing as one listens to them.

The smooth, well-integrated sound of the St Lawrence Quartet brings out different aspects of Tehaikovsky's quartet writing, including the melancholy that, even in the generally sunny Op 11, is never far away. They give The Endellions, given an appropriately bright and clear recording, bring out Tchaikovsky's contrasts a vigorous account of the minor-key scherzo, with the viola, prominent and rich-toned, darkening the texture and mood of the trio section,. In the more brilliant parts of the finale one becomes aware that the recorded sound, though attractively full and mellow, is a little lacking in immediacy — the high violin passages don't have the same impact as on the Endellion disc. The famous Andante cantabile is played by the Endellions with delicacy and restraint, and by the St Lawrence in a much more richly expressive manner, but at a drawn-out tempo that's closer to Adagio. The Borodin's, full of intense expression but at a gently flowing speed, realises the full emotional effect better than either of the new versions.

In the Adagio of Op 22, however, the Endellions' playing is just as heartfelt. Indeed, by taking the contrasting middle section more brightly, they intensify the effect of the return of the sad opening theme in a way the unrelieved emotional outpouring of the Borodins can't achieve. In the finale of this quartet, however, the Borodin's powerful projection of the 'big tune' at the climax creates the necessary sense of culmination — here the Endellions, lively and alert, but less forceful, miss out. The St Lawrence players get right into the dark-hued sound-world of the Third Quartet. Their confident expressive manner conveys the deep sadness that runs through the long first movement. I only missed the extra flexibility of rhythm and variety of tone colour that the Borodins bring to it. The St Lawrence bring out the dark tones that threaten the finale's manic vigour, and don't shrink from projecting the black, implacable quality of the great Andante fanebre e doloravo.

To sum up: two distinguished discs, both finely played, each with a well-developed view of the music. But neither quite achieves the sense of completeness, of realising every aspect, in the way the Borodin do.

Duncan Druce