Torke: Chalk

Big disappointment, this one. As I've always been impressed with the other two Argo recordings of the Balanescu Quartet (Volans and Bryars), I have tried to dig out some of their earlier recordings. The Argo CDs are very hard to get as they have long disappeared from the catalogue. This album brings together works for string quartet by fringe contemporary composers (David Byrne, Robert Moran, John Lurie and Michael Torke). Can't really say I knew any of them (apart from Byrne as Talking Head, of course). Anyway, what I heard here left me thoroughly cold: flaccid, artless compositions in a kind of bleak and repetitive idiom (for Lurie and Torke) or in a chokingly saccharine, neo-romantic style. Apart from Byrne's short piece they all outstayed their welcome. Audiophage, in his Amazon review, thought the album worth 4 stars, but I disagree that the sheer length of the repetitive doggedness makes it any more interesting. The Balanescu's playing is nowhere near the level of commitment they showed in their other recordings. Two stars, as far as I'm concerned, and then only just.