Following a conversation in strings

Listening to a string quartet this evening, I kept changing whom I was following. A high phrase drew me in, then a low answer seemed more interesting, then I lost both in the sound of everyone playing together. It reminded me of sitting at a table where the conversation keeps moving.

I do not always recognise the parts, and sometimes I cannot tell which instrument has caught my attention. That uncertainty leaves room for curiosity. At the end I found myself remembering a brief exchange in the middle, rather than the opening or the final chord. I went back to hear it once more.