Title: Excellent, but not my first choice
Product review: I liked this CD of quartets 1 and 3 so much, I had to get #2! I could only find #2 in complete sets, so I wound up with the Phillips Duo set featuring the Beaux Arts Trio and Menahem Pressler in all 3 pieces (plus a trio to fill CD2). Lo and behold, I like that set even better.Rubinstein seems to have been on a mission to rescue Brahms' music from the misperception of being stodgy and academic. This he certainly accomplishes--to the point of being perhaps just the slightest trifle "over the top" here and there. The Beaux Arts/Pressler performances are more suave and subtle--not that they're at all anemic.If robustness is your prime criterion, you may well differ about the Beaux Arts doing better. But remember, you'll have to add some duplication to your collection or do without Quartet #2. While I do think Nos. 1 and 3 are the best, #2 is well worth getting. Phillips offers a great value and the sound is at least as good.
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