Time, place and mood are explored in this unusual programme that reveals the inventive curiosity of the Arabella Quartet, lauded by the Boston Musical Intelligencer for its “freedom, drive, and risktaking”. The geographical span is wide, from Spain to Russia, and traditional staples by Schubert sit alongside meditative statements on human themes by Puccini, Turina, Webern and Nielsen. Shostakovich’s Two Pieces for String Quartet were rediscovered in the 1980s and broaden the expressive range of this fascinating disc.