Johann Wolfgang von Goethe described string quartet music as "four rational people conversing."  One wonders what Goethe might have said after listening to the releases in this feature.  The titles below each comprise an update to the string quartet, varying from mild to wild. The two quartets by William Walton show his range in compositional style across a quarter century. The first is by a teenage Walton eager to challenge the world with his music; the second, by a seasoned composer- assured and relaxed. We include another Doric String Quartet recording of Korngold, picked as an Editor's Choice by Gramophone Magazine.  Next are three Naxos recordings, including the genre-defying 'Songs without Words' by Bruce Wolosoff; then two from Gabriel Prokofiev that take the string quartet in entirely new directions.  Finally, the wildest of all, a collaboration between the ever-adventurous Kronos Quartet, and a Finnish duo of accordion and dj called Mariko.