Arnold Schönberg published four string quartets, but wrote more. They are spread around his lifetime, and accurately document his development as a composer. From his earliest, unpublished quartet from 1897, inspired by his friend Zemlinsky and approved by Brahms, to his last, written in 1949. By that time Schoenberg had fully worked out his signature twelve tone theories.
That last work, from 1949 is seen as his fifth string quartet, but not on this recording. Here we are presented with the unpublished quartet from 1897, and numbers 1 through 4, from 1905, 1907, 1927 and 1936. String quartet no 2 surprised me with the sudden appearance of a soprano voice in the last two parts.
This is the second recording the Juilliard Quartet made of these works. The first is from 1951, when the D major string quartet from 1897 was not yet published. That happened in 1966, so it was available when this came out in 1977. You see, this is why it matters which recording you have!