"Schubert String Quartets Nos 9 & 14 ‘Death and the Maiden’ Chiaroscuro Quartet BIS "Two Schubert string quartets, early and ‘late’, played with enormous conviction and power by this very stylish ensemble."

"...so great are the fascination and expressive dimensions that the four string players achieve in their ensemble...the contrasts between softness, ardent strength and mosaic-like radiance..."

"Yet in a performance as bracingly immediate as this, the work has plenty of enjoyably Schubertian touches, whether in the Andante’s airy dance or the paprikaflavoured finale, duly relished here."

"...the Chiaroscuro produces a sound of ravishing sonic and intonational purity...experiencing these remarkable performances is akin to hearing this groundbreaking music for the very first time."

"Die Perfektion des Chiaroscuro Quartetts liegt darin, alle Nuancen des Originalklangs zu nutzen und daraus die Interpretation zu formen. Alles wird anders: die Wahrnehmung der einzelnen Instrumente, die Farben der Klänge, Auftritt und Gewicht der Motive. Eine Überraschung jagt die andere. Denn Beethoven war genial. Und das Chiaroscuro-Quartett ist es auch."

"...the Chiaroscuro Quartet’s playing operates beyond any feeling of tendentiousness in this area. They use gut strings, and deploy non vibrato as something close to a default position [...] you find yourself absorbed in the mesmerising mastery of these works..."

"Invigorating energy and attention to articulation and phrasing that’s constantly rewarding and sometime a soaring lyricism that reminds us we are never that far from Mozart’s operas…nothing is taken for granted, everything explored as though for the first time."

"Tense and strained sound in the tempestuous Allegro of opus 13 sounded miles away from the lush cantabile in the Adagio and the starry-eyed purity of the Intermezzo. [...] But having once experienced the Chiaroscuro’s drama, I would be loath to settle for usual relentlessly beautiful tones of mainstream groups."

"It’s that combination of crisp, earthy clarity and lively, virtuoso sparkle that marks these readings out along with the conversational vitality as the four of them move fluidly in and out of the spotlight [...] all with such an adrenalin-filled, spontaneous-feeling rhythmic impetus and swing that it’s a challenge to sit still as you listen."

"Les Chiaroscuro [...] vont au-delà du raisonnable en insufflant une vie pleine de contrastes et de joies multiples à ces superbes partitions. Ils justifient ainsi l’impact produit par l’esprit de comédie qui circule notamment dans les scherzos avec une spontanéité jaillissante et une efficacité virtuose."

"The wonderfully paced opening grows steadily in insistence, until it blossoms into melody in a totally unforced way, setting the tone for everything that follows; there seem to be no preconceptions in these performances, everything comes from the music itself."