The string quartet is the composer's favorite chamber genre. A quick glance at the titles of these works will show that all but one are memorials, either specific or general, and one might expect intensity of expression, slowness of tempo and depictions of sorrow. This is exactly what one gets (you might not want to listen to all four pieces in succession), along with an overview of quartet writing in the late 20th century, from Bartók and Shostakovich to Penderecki and Lutoslawski. Records International