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Editorial Reviews

Having previously recorded Tchaikovsky's First String Quartet on a disc that also contained works by Britten, the Brodsky Quartet here take on the Russian Romantic's remaining two quartets. The Second Quartet is not as popular as the First, with its notably beautiful Andante cantabile, nor does it match the expressive richness of the Third, which ventures to the far-flung key of E-flat Minor. Still, the Brodskys dig in with fervor. In the companion Third Quartet, however, the group comes more fully into its own, with an especially successful Andante funebre e doloroso, the gorgeous third movement that is at the work's heart, and a dancing Scherzo. Throughout, there's a smooth sheen to the ensemble's sound that detractors might call slick, but the better term is polished -- seamlessly so. And even if the time-honored repertoire here lacks the hip appeal of the Brodsky's concurrent release, Moodswings (a crossover collaboration with Elvis Costello, Björk, and other icons of alt-pop), it serves up further proof that these adventurous players aren't afraid to have their cake and dine on more hearty musical meals, too. EJ Johnson, Barnes & Noble

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