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"Four Stars ... the quartets are attractive pieces, by turns naively innocent and emotionally ambiguous, but always written with real flair for the medium ... La Ritirata give lively and alert accounts, clearly in sympathy with the music." - BBC Music Magazine "... the work of a boy composer who seems to be writing for intimate friends with every belief that it’s going to be loved at first hearing. And once accustomed to its rules and boundaries, the music has at least as much charm and distinction as Boccherini ... the accomplished period instrument group La Ritirata play the music with serious consideration of period style in matters involving phrasing and portamento ... has the advantage of the Tema variado en cuarteto, a delightful piece with a rare sense of uninhibited play." - Gramophone The complete string quartets of Juan Crisostomo de Arriaga are performed on period instruments by La Ritirata, led by cellist Josetxu Obregón and comprising violinists Hiro Kurosaki and Miren Zeberio and viola Daniel Lorenzo. The underlying spirit of La Ritirata is of an intensive consideration of musical (and other) sources before attempting fresh interpretations of scores, precisely what the musicians have done on this album. The group has also included the Tema variado en cuarteto, in order to get closer to the sound world of the Spanish composer who left his native Basque Country at the age of 15 to study and compose in Paris.