Though it is understated and unpretentious, the Panocha Quartet’s playing of the first 4 quartets from Franz Josef Haydn’s Op. 33 set is very good. The music just flows nicely; the pacing is superb. Besides fairly brisk tempi, the Panocha has the good sense to omit most of the repeats across the quartets. They take the opening Allegro exposition repeat and repeat the first A section in the Minuet, but that’s it. This reduces the length of the quartets from a lumbering 25-30 minute range that I hear from ensembles that take every repeat down to under 20 minutes -- and the music benefits enormously. The quartets lose any sense of ponderousness. Haydn’s talent is partly one of wit, and wit needs to be concise and not overstay. The Panocha’s compact renditions aren’t always light but they at all times cut out any un-Haydnesque sprawl and distill the story. In fact, I can’t remember enjoying playing of this important Op. 33 set more, despite having many recordings and knowing the set very well.Their approach’s success can be heard right off, not in the witty and light writing, but in one of Haydn’s more dramatic moments, the opening Allegro of the B-minor quartet which starts off the set. This Allegro’s abrupt melodic material is made more effective by the fleet-footed playing. It’s almost as if the terse and famous opening theme of the b-minor quartet becomes an epigram here. And the wonderful and nearly heroic theme that serves as the Allegro’s ‘B’ theme is only helped by the understated playing. The melancholia of this Allegro never comes close to pathos or even Beethoven-like grandeur; its restrained sadness comes through with more impact because of the Panocha’s underplaying.While I focused on the first track, an exceptional interpretation of an important Haydn allegro, the Panocha is very consistent in its style. Everything is fleet. I’ve never heard the scherzo of the ‘Bird’ quartet (op 33/3) done faster; and the light opening Allegro of op 33/4 is graceful and concise. The lightness and liveliness isn’t just a result of the quick tempi and the redaction of repeats. Focused knowledge of the music is apparent in the neat trade-offs between the instruments – one moment, the first violin leads, the next the cello rises higher in its range to present a theme, and so on – in a relaxed interplay.Do I have any criticisms of this performance? The Panocha have a lean sound which is made thinner by a lean recording from Supraphon. I don’t want to overstress this weakness. Intonation problems are limited, the string playing is within the range of normal richness for professional quartets, and the recording is pretty good. But this isn’t a lush CD in any way.I agree with the opinions of the other reviewers and enjoyed the results. This Panocha release may be a reference version. While I don’t think it’s perfect, I think my enthusiasm for this release comes out from what I wrote above. There is just something so right and clear-sighted about it. Warmly recommended.