Track Listing

Disc 1:

1. 1. Allegro Moderato
2. 2. Adagio
3. 3. Menuetto Ma Allegretto
4. 4. Allegro
5. 1. Allegro
6. 2. Andante
7. 3. Menuetto In Canone
8. 4. Allegro
9. 1. Larghetto - Allegro
10. 2. Adagio
11. 3. Menuetto (Allegro)
12. 4. Finale (Allegro)

Disc 2:

1. 1. Allegro
2. 2. Andante
3. 3. Menuetto (Allegretto)
4. 4. (Allegro)
5. 1. Allegro
6. 2. Menuetto (Allegretto)
7. 3. Adagio Ma Non Troppo
8. 4. Adagio - Allegro

Disc 3:

1. 1. Allegro Di Molto
2. 2. Andante
3. 3. Menuetto
4. 4. Allegro
5. 1. Allegro
6. 2. Adagio
7. 3. Menuetto (Allegretto) - Trio
8. 4. Andante
9. 5. Menuetto (Allegretto) - Trio I - Trio II
10. 6. Allegro

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #117828 in Music
• Brand: Philips
• Released on: 2002-06-11
• Number of discs: 3
• Dimensions: .41 pounds

Customer Reviews

Polished and vital performances
There are two extreme approaches to Mozart; one can play superficially, treating his music as harmless fluff for easy listening, or one can play his music in Romanticized fashion, wringing every last ounce of emotion out, and possibly injecting some in the process. Neither is appropriate; smooth as Mozart may be on the surface, there is depth of expression that is nonetheless spoiled by attempts to accentuate it. The wise performer must chart a middle course and avoid resolving the tension to either side if his performance is to succeed, which Arthur Grumiaux and his colleagues do in this recording.

The playing on this set is impeccable; all the performers are of the highest calibre, and are well-represented by the technicians. The recording is old but not too old, and has aged well. But most importantly, in interpreting these glorious works, the musicians never succumb to either extreme; the performances are of an aristocratic elegance that also brings out, for example, the darkness in the C-minor quintet. Highly recommended.

A definitive set of some relatively neglected Mozart masterworks.
It is difficult to find a decent set of Mozart's string quintets; the Amadeus Quartet/DGG offering isn't bad; the performance is nice, but the recording isn't that great as it suffers greatly from age. This recording is also older, but the remastering is excellent - it is difficult to tell that this was recorded in the 1970's. For those not familiar with him, Arthur Grumiaux - the lead violin in these performances - was one of the great interpreters of Mozart, as evidenced on his recording of Mozart's Violin Concertos. He was blessed with a gorgeous violin tone, and always maintained a tasteful and aristocratic approach to playing. In other words, he was perfectly suited for Mozart. His exceptional Trio here is augmented by guest musicians Leseur and Gerecz, fine musicians in their own right. Needless to say, Grumiaux and company do these masterpieces justice, by toeing the line between restraint and expression perfectly, which is what is needed for an accurate and fulfilling interpretation of the works. Not only are the performances impeccable, but the music itself is amazing. If you like Mozart's string quartets, you will love his quintets as it affords the composer more freedom to add depth and layers to his compositions. Much like Brahms, Mozart just seemed more at home writing in this medium than he ever did with the Quartet arrangement.
Quintets 2-6 are all late works; and as such, they resonate with counterpoint and a harmonic complexity typical of late Mozart. The highlights include the C Major quintet, the G Minor quintet, and the final quintet, written near the end of his life, the E-Flat Major Quintet. The finale of the E Flat Major quintet is especially satisfying as, much like his final symphony the "Jupiter", Mozart goes out with a proverbial "bang" as he expounds on a 2 part fugue which deconstructs the theme into 2 distinct lines, inverts to minor and embarks on a brain-popping contrapuntal exposition. Incredible, but then that's Mozart.
An added bonus is the Divertimento K 563, also in E-Flat Major, which may be Mozart's most mature chamber offering. If you haven't heard these works before, this set earns my strongest recommendation, especially at this price (3 discs for less than the price of 2).
Another fine set which I just picked up is the Quatuor Talich set on Calliope. It is also 3 disc, but it's even cheaper than this, with similarly excellent performances and pristine digital sound. Honestly, it's a tossup between the two.

Wonderful interpretation of the Mozart Quintets
Mozart's Viola Quintets never quite get the attention of his magnificent quartets, and finding good interpretations is proportionally difficult. The last two quintets are particularly enigmatic, as Mozart's shocks the ensemble with innovations and challenges that are quite out of place with his normally genteel style. Combine this with the frictions inherent when combining a steady ensemble with guest artists and you have the recipe for many bruising, rough recordings of these works.

Consistent with his recordings of the Violin Concerti, Arthur Grumiaux once again brings superhuman technique and sparkle to his interpretation. Even by today's standards, the cleanliness of his playing is outstanding: the unbelievable articulation of his spiccato simply leaps out in front of the others as a player who's two generations ahead of his time.

All the players are fine ensemble players and well capable of the technical and musical demands required, but nevertheless Grumiaux's personality and interpretation dominate these recordings. This is fortunate since Mozart's writing relies heavily on the first violin for interpretive unity. The first violist, although never lacking in musicality or precision, tends to sound a bit like an ex-violinist in that he pulls out more grit than resonance from his instrument. The cello sounds similarly hoarse, although it's possible that older recording technology might have missed the deeper sonorities of these instruments. However, in all other aspects the recording quality is beautifully resonant, and evidence such as bow pressure, tempi, and speed of vibrato seem to incriminate the generation gap as the primary culprit.

As is typical of Grumiaux's approach to Mozart, precision and sparkle is valued over romanticism, producing a classical and poised interpretation that is performed with wonderous unity by the entire ensemble. The tempo never wallows in search of profundity, and is selected to emphasize elegance and grace without ever getting so fast as to become superficial. K. 515 and K. 516 were beautifully recorded by Tokyo and Zuckerman, while K. 593 was peerlessly rendered by Ma, Kremer and Kashkashian. For the last two quintets, however, this remains the best I have heard.