Nowadays, my choice is the Alban Berg, for any repertoire: the Viennese classics as well as the XXth century classics. I have had the opportunity to attend their concerts many times: and their live sound is powerful... I still recall an interpretation of the Lutoslawski quartet, it sounded like a symphony orchestra! The cello, Valentin Erben, may be in my opinion the best cello player I've ever heard to... Unfortunately some years ago, their former viola, Thomas Kakushka, died, and a young Isabel Charisius replaced for him: although she was Kakushka's disciple and plays Kakushka's own viola... well, it's not the same thing!

I also like the Takács a lot. They are splendid, their virtuosity has always left me out of breath... And the Borodin: their Shostakovich is always quite an experience, and their historic cellist, Valentin Berlinski, with his still magnificent sound, at 80 years...

The Tokyo have decayed a lot in the last years, they don't have anything to do with the splendid quartet they were once.

As for historic quartets, my favourites are the Amadeus and the Budapest.