Takács and Jean-Yves Thibaudet at Zankel Hall

NEW YORK TIMES

By Steve Smith

Lucid investigations of the standard repertory have earned the TakácsQuartet a sterling reputation, and a slightly rough-hewn, earthy quality that has emerged in recent performances has made the group even more compelling. The latest reminder came on Saturday night, when it completed a season long survey of Haydn’s Opus 74 quartets and the three string quartets of Brahms at Zankel Hall.

Haydn, of course, is a dietary staple for any quartet; Brahms, if less ubiquitous, is hardly exotic. Much to the credit of these players, nothing sounded less than fully energized and committed on Saturday.

Intensity and drama abounded in a lively account of Haydn’s Quartet in G minor (“Rider”). Edward Dusinberre, the first violinist, sounded slightly strident at times but offered sweetly spun embellishments during the Largo.

Brahms, usually branded a conservative, sounds like anything but in the Vivace of his Quartet No. 3 in B flat. The Takácsplayers sounded suitably impulsive in its mercurial shifts and rhythmic frictions. Geraldine Walther, the violist, brought a warm, throaty beauty to the Andante and was a strong protagonist in the subsequent Agitato. Károly Schranz, the second violinist, and András Féjer, the cellist, contributed with dignity and heart.

After intermission the suave pianist Jean-Yves Thibaudet joined the quartet in Franck’s Piano Quintet in F minor. Swept up in chromatic themes of surging romance, the players struck an ideal balance between rigor and abandon.

	Quick concert view