MUSIC REVIEW : Takacs Quartet in Laguna Series

Neither the most virtuosic nor the most extrovert of ensembles, the Takacs Quartet--formerly of Hungary, now of Colorado--nevertheless produces musical performances of high quality and reliable consistency.

And more: genuine conviction. Returning to Southern California, Monday night, to appear on the Laguna Beach Chamber Music Society series at Laguna Beach High School, the Takacs players--violinists Gabor Takacs-Nagy and Karoly Schranz, violist Gabor Ormai and cellist Andras Fejer--brought strong feelings, fluent technique and unanimity of purpose to an exposing program.

Whether in Mozart’s “Hunt” Quartet, Bartok’s Second, or Brahms’ C-minor, Opus 51, No. 1, these still-young musicians gave alert attention and sharp focus to the music at hand.

In Mozart’s B-flat Quartet, K. 458, the four players opened the evening aggressively, and obviously already warmed up, exhibiting a clear musical viewpoint and considerable ensemble polish. In Bartok’s numinous Second Quartet, they achieved the composer’s full gamut of emotions but touched down most deeply on the meditative strengths of the finale.

Of worldly delights, the pleasures to be heard in Brahms’ very first quartet became abundant in all movements, but most probingly in, as before, the slow ones. Not to slight the integrity of Takacs-Nagy’s charismatic leadership, or the solid musical values and handsome tones produced by Schranz and Fejer, one still must single out violist Ormai for his consistently resplendent and thoughtful playing.

The Takacs Quartet will appear on the Chamber Music in Historic Sites series, in the Rotunda at the County Museum of Natural History, Sunday at 7 p.m.

--DANIEL CARIAGA