Intimate Letters

America's Emerson String Quartet keeps getting better and better in deeper repertoire. Three years after its 2006 disc of romantic Scandinavian quartets by Sibelius, Nielsen, and Grieg, it released a disc of modernist Czech chamber music by Janácek and Martinu, the former's two string quartets and the latter's three madrigals for violin and viola. As before, the results are superb, and as befits Janácek's extremely passionate music, the performances are tonally voluptuous and expressively intense. The Emerson's first quartet is emotionally volatile and relentlessly driven, but the ensemble is together at all times. The second quartet is mellower in tone much of the time, but the Emerson's concentration never lets up and when the closing movement explodes, the effect is shocking. Violinist Philip Setzer and violist Lawrence Dutton make the most of Martinu's madrigals' heightened lyricism and effervescent rhythms and create performances of such ineffable beauty that they may bring these lesser known works to a larger audience. It may even be possible that the Emerson may tackle Martinu's seven quartets, or so fans of the composer may hope. As always for this group, Deutsche Grammophon's digital sound is cool, clear, and immediate. ~ James Leonard, All Music Guide