April, 2004 By Dennis Rooney It was several years since I heard the Pacifica Quartet before the group performed with pianist Ann-Marie McDermott in the Rose Rehearsal Studio on 8 January, presented by the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center. During that hiatus, the ensemble has gained in both tonal blend and interpretive mastery, and the Brahms Quintet was memorable for its clarification of texture and bracing impetus, qualities not often present simultaneously in that work. McDermott was a helpful partner, ensuring that the pulse never flagged and balancing her good-sounding instrument expertly with the strings. An equally distinguished account of Mozart's Adagio and Fugue K546 opened the programme.