The Attacca Quartet presents closely-recorded Ravel perhaps a little too close to give the French composer's translucent textures adequate space to breathe. But it's still impressive stuff and if the Assez vifi is a tad careful, the Très Lent has a beguiling stillness and the Vif et agité an exciting momentum.

Having heard some of the ensemble’s previous recordings, I had a feeling their performance would avoid the ordinary, and I sure wasn’t wrong. Right away, the Attacca take a bold interpretative stance, starting below tempo and using the first bar to get to a proper Allegro moderato.