the period players of Cuarteto Casals reveal an intimate uderstanding of the special qualities of Mozart's quartet style...virtually every phrase is brought to life and coloured by some variations of bow pressure or speed, or vibrato...The recorded sound is fine-grained and vibrant.

They fit three of the “Haydn” quartets (including the “Dissonance”) on to this single disc, thanks to generous playing-time and skipping some repeats, and the performances are strong-willed, bold in contrasts, almost Beethovenian in their mettlesome thrust.

Cuarteto Casals shatter a glass ceiling of historic inhibitions and camouflage nothing. Enshrined herein is a rare order of musicianship.

They launch into every movement with tremendous relish, on such a tide of rich, deep string tone that they could be playing Brahms or Dvořák, and it comes with equally full-blooded, expressive inflections. It is very involving to begin with, as such musical generosity draws you into the performance – welcomes you almost. But after a while it all seems a bit too obvious and generalised.

This triptych of Mozart performances is of the highest calibre, captured by a close recording whose revealing detail exposes no weakness among the players.