The Trout's sound seems positively state-of-the-art alongside its discmate, also a frequent presence in the Budapest's concert programs, whose dense textures suffer from airless engineering that obscures detail and robs the Lento of much of its sensuality. Balsam and the Budapest are fiery in the outer movements and play with great feeling in the Lento, but this 1953 recording makes for uncomfortable listening. Budapest Quartet fans should know that the ebullient Alexander Schneider isn't on this disc (the second violin in the Franck is Jac Gorodetzky). Otherwise, the lineup includes the usual crew from the late 1950s and early 1960s: Joseph Roisman, first violin, Boris Kroyt, viola, and Mischa Schneider, cello.

--Dan Davis, ClassicsToday.com