SPECIAL LIMITED EDITION DIGIPAK

The opening of Trio No. 6 (placed first on the disc) does not bode well: the initial exchange between violin and piano seems to promise a deliberate effort to sound coy, or to make Mozart "cute" rather than charming and witty. Happily, the first tutti has a firm pulse and real gusto, and from then on the playing has that lively sense of give-and-take among friends that the music demands. It goes without saying that Previn and Mutter are up to Mozart's relatively modest musical requirements, and cellist Daniel Müller-Schott has no problem establishing himself on equal terms with his two more illustrious partners. The Larghetto of Trio No. 4 (K. 502) is particularly eloquent, inward but never self-indulgent, and it's obvious that everyone concerned is enjoying themselves. This includes the live audience, which is well-behaved if not perfectly silent. The microphones are close to the players, but they can stand the scrutiny, and balances don't suffer. A lovely memento of a fine Mozart evening. [5/3/2006]