Though George Perle (1915-2009) was best known internationally as a leading authority on the music of the Second Viennese School in general and on Alban Berg in particular – in the 1970s he discovered the secret programme behind the Lyric Suite – he thought of himself first and foremost as a composer. "Every bit of theorizing I've done," he once said, "including my interest in Berg, has come as a consequence of discoveries I made as a composer." It's no surprise, therefore, to discover that his own music owes a great deal to Schoenberg and Berg, but in an entirely personal, never imitative way. Perle composed nine string quartets, the first of which remained incomplete. The three here span more than 45 years, and show how Perle progressively clarified his musical language, so that the Fifth and Eighth Quartets are impressive achievements, at ease in their own musical worlds. The cool, slightly detached quality of the Daedalus Quartet's performances seems to suit this fastidiously organised and laid-out music beautifully; they understand how the music should unfold at its own pace, so that it can speak eloquently for itself.