Walter Weller was an Austrian violinist born just before the war. He started his lessons right after the war at the age of six, and went on te become a very young concertmaster at the Vienna Philharmonic. Many times this is a good position to become the conductor, which he also did, in 1964. Since then he collected the position in many orchestras all around the world.
This is his very own string quartet, founded in 1958. It existed until 1969, and this recording is from 1964. I am wondering: if he was so revered, if he had a string quartet named after him, was Weller a modest man? According to the obituary, written in the Guardian on the occasion of his death in 2015 he had an “unflamboyant nature”, not seeking publicity and giving the music the central role. So no.
That same article describes his style as richly textured, as was customary in the more traditional Vienna. These times this saturated, polished sound is no longer popular. From a recording perspective it is no longer needed, and it is sometimes a bit tiring. I admit having that same feeling with this recording. I’ve heard better.