Elgar String Quartet in E minor, Op. 83. Quintet for Piano and Strings in A minor, Op. 84 ^a. ^a Peter Donohoe (pf); Maggini Quartet (Laurence Jackson, David Angel, vns; Martin Outram, va; Michal Kaznowski, vc).

Naxos (Super budget price) (CD) 8 553737 (62 minutes: DDD).

This is a most useful super-budget pairing. Formed in 1988, the Maggini Quartet impress with the luminous refinement and beguiling tonal beauty of their music-making. The finale of the String Quartet shows them at their best, I feel, with textures refreshingly transparent and Elgar’s superb counterpoint laid bare with genuine intelligence. None the less, a degree more emotional trenchancy would perhaps not have gone amiss: by the side of the youthfully visceral Vellinger Quartet and the Medici’s gloriously uninhibited first recording, the Maggini can sound a bit too polite. Moreover, the tricky Piacevole slow movement is not entirely free of a certain self-conscious coyness, appealingly gentle and rapt though the playing is. Small criticisms, these: the Maggini’s account remains well worth hearing.

The Piano Quintet comes off very well, on the whole. Peter Donohoe offers a predictably assured contribution, though there are times when he comes close to forcing the tone (the stormy development section of the first movement is a case in point). Both outer movements go with a will and there are plenty of imaginative touches and much positive characterization along the way. As so often, though, the slow movement proves somewhat elusive: the soul-searching intimacy of Elgar’s inspiration is perhaps more comprehensively revealed by John Bingham and the Medici Quartet, or the Nash Ensemble (whose distinctive, exceptionally thoughtful rendering is perhaps the most perceptive of all).

Personally speaking, I still think the Vellinger’s memorable mid-price Eminence coupling is well worth a little extra outlay. However, this Naxos newcomer clearly represents excellent value for money and many Elgarians will rightly want to sample it. Sound and balance are admirable, too.

AA