The Haas Quartet with Boris Giltburg provide both relaxation and a strong sense of purposeful energy; throughout every 'espressivo' marking is given full weight without the ensemble losing their grip on the structure or driving the lyricism too hard. The detail in the slow movement is also compelling especially where the piano doubles other instruments; the brisker sections might perhaps have been more playful, but the scherzo is full of fun with an intense, almost radiant treatment of the chorale-like trio. Their reading of the finale, which is often treated merely as a concluding romp, as it can often seem, has a rewarding dimension of seriousness, and the finale pages with their blend of stillness and celebration are superbly judged. Excellently recorded, these performances are among the most memorable I have encountered in recent years.

The playing is breathtakingly good, each performer maintaining their own personality and yet working together to conjure a special magic, whether in the sparkling 'furiant' of the piano quintet No 2 in A major, Op 81 (with Boris Giltburg at his most mercurial) ... Highly recommended.

It is difficult to overestimate their expressive intensity and opulent sound production, both of which lend a touch of the symphonic to the piece ... Robust of lyrical, rounded or trenchant, tenderly bucolic or tempestuous, the musicians embrace and revel in it all