Perhaps what struck most, though, was just how constantly and generously each of the players...was physically and aurally in dialogue with the others, and through them, the listener. It’s that ability to communicate, among many other talents, that makes the Takacs the essential quartet of our time.

"When chamber musicians of this caliber are at their best, you can sense the thoughts whip around the ensemble, an extra bit of weight on an accent in the first violin prompting an answering push from the cello. Familiarity breeds excitement, and an old score feels suddenly spontaneous."

"Right from the start of this concert it was clear that we were in for more of the kind of superlative music-making we have come almost to take for granted from the Takács Quartet."

“The Takacs' ensemble skills were very much in evidence...clearly the result of painstaking preparation. The reading [of Beethoven's Op. 59 Razumovsky Quartet] exuded no less spontaneity, however, as if the ink was still wet on the page and making the two centuries since its writing seem to vanish.”

“The Takács are impressive on this album: every micro-phrase, every note is considered. Their sound draws you in from the first moment. The opening chords and sinuous lines vibrate and thrill on many levels; this is of course to do with their rich and subtle playing but also the fantastic recorded balance.”

“One thing is certain about this new recording by the Takács Quartet: you will not hear better string quartet playing anywhere in the world today.”

“Classical music doesn’t get much more life-enhancing than this.”

“They are a class act, if ever there was one, marrying aristocratic elegance and red-blooded energy to everything they play.”

“Chamber music royalty...”