Quartets' latest CDs tasty

YING QUARTET; "Dim Sum" (Telarc) ****

LOS ANGELES GUITAR QUARTET; "LAGQ Brazil" (Telarc) ****

The four siblings who make up the Ying Quartet aren't content with merely playing the traditional quartet repertoire. They're interested in exploring the medium's possibilities, and to that end they've collaborated with groups such as the Turtle Island Quartet.

More recently, the Yings have released "Dim Sum," which, as anyone familiar with Asian cuisine knows, is a sampling of many different dishes. And the foursome has given it musical connotations — their new CD consists of many short pieces and single movements from larger works that they feel can stand alone. Most of the music on this album is by prominent Chinese-American composers, but the Yings have also included pieces by a couple of younger up-and-coming composers as well.

What these eight composers have in common — besides a shared heritage — is the manner in which they artfully blend Chinese musical and esthetic sensibilities with Western idioms and techniques. The result is refreshingly original and adds considerably to the string quartet literature (although sometimes one is left wondering if what one hears is a modern string quartet or some ancient Chinese stringed instrument). The Yings play these pieces with refined artistry. Their performances are dynamic, eloquent and expressive.

Zhou Long, Chen Yi, Bright Sheng, Chou Wen-chung and Tan Dun are among the well-known composers on this album. Their music is vivid, colorful and descriptive. They manage to bring new meaning to the string quartet medium in these pieces. The power of their music lies in how they blend and juxtapose Eastern and Western characteristics, blurring the lines between cultures and creating works that make a lasting impact on the listener.

The same is true for the music of Vivian Fung and Lei Liang, both of whom are in their mid-30s. They've assimilated both cultures as much as the older generation of Chinese-American composers have, producing a style that is uniquely theirs.

For a thrilling musical experience, one needs to enjoy "Dim Sum" at leisure.

• The LOS ANGELES GUITAR QUARTET is as adventurous as any musical group. The quartet has always been interested in exploring the musical possibilities of four guitars, and their quest has taken them from classical music to pop and world music. As the title implies, "LAGQ Brazil" is devoted to Brazilian composers and is one of the group's better CDs in recent years.

Too often in the past, LAGQ has released albums that have been mere rehashings of previous material, without anything new to offer its listeners. Not so with "LAGQ Brazil." This is a refreshing CD of pieces that range from popular (Sergio Mendes' "Mas Que Nada") to Antonio Carlos Jobim (a medley that includes "Modinha," "A Felicidade" and "Stone Flower") to classical (Heitor Villa Lobos' "A Lenda do Caboclo"). In between, there is a wonderful sampling of other composers as well.

It's a very attractive collection of music played with LAGQ's trademark polish and flair. It's ear candy to be sure, but when it's done like this, who cares.

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