The Prazák Quartet has long distinguished itself with its passionate, nationalistic interpretations of late Romantic composers such as Dvorák, Smetana, and Janácek, as well as insightful and precision playing of composers from the Second Viennese School such as Schoenberg, Webern, and Bern. That this ensemble produces successful, enjoyable recordings of string quartets of the aforementioned composers is not now in question. What is questionable is whether or not the same approach the Prazák uses for Janácek or Schoenberg will produce a convincing recording of the Mozart "Haydn" quartets, and the answer is no. The ensemble's sound throughout this recording is simply too sparse and piercing, particularly in the first violin. The viola and cello sound quite nasal and strained. Much of the time, the approach to the instruments is exceedingly forceful and harsh. When the musicians do finally get around to trying to produce a piano dynamic, their sound appears out of breath, almost as if they have difficulty maintaining contact with the string while playing softly. The superior audio fidelity of this SACD release only heightens listeners' awareness of these shortcomings in sound quality. Gone are traces of elegance, gracefulness, or decorum that many listeners will find intrinsic in enjoyable performances of Mozart.
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