Saint-Saens string quartets Opp. 112 & 153 Fine Arts Quartet Naxos 8.572454 Saint-Saens' two string quartets will surprise those most of us who have never heard them, “serious, intellectual, brilliantly crafted yet delightful works which will change minds in a hurry” [Ralph Evans). Mature works, written when he was in his sixties and eighties respectively, championed by a venerable American quartet which has been active touring and recording for over half a century, three of its members with them for nearly thirty years. Definitely well worth hearing, and for quartets wanting to extend their repertoires to consider taking up. Peter Grahame Woolf |