CD: Beethoven: String Quartets Op 18 nos 1 & 4

It's 10 years since Quatuor Mosaiques released their only other disc of Beethoven quartets - the fifth and sixth of the Op 18 set - suggesting they feel the 18th-century classicism of the early works seems to suit their approach better than the burgeoning romanticism of the Rasumovskys or the transcendent world of the late quartets. Nevertheless their performances of Op 18 nos 1 and 4, in F and C minor respectively, are certainly full blooded, never self-consciously well-mannered or over-genteel, and the resonant acoustic certainly adds a bloom to their gut-strung sound. Anyone wanting period-instrument performances of Beethoven quartets shouldn't hesitate, though at this rate it will be a good while before the cycle is complete.