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Aeon

Mozart: String Quartet K 464, Etc / Huang, Brentano Quartet

$8.99

Details

Composer
MOZART, W. A.
Artist
BRENTANO STRING QUARTET HSIN-YUN QUARTET
Format
CD
Label
Aeon
Released
Apr 01, 2009
Catalog #
AECD0747
UPC
3760058367476

About



MOZART String Quartet No. 18. String Quintet in D, K 593 1 • Brentano Str Qrt; Hsin-Yun Huang (va) 1 • AEON 747 (62:25)


Chamber music enthusiasts not yet familiar with the Brentano String Quartet have a rare treat in store. Soon after joining forces in 1992, the quartet won the Cleveland Quartet and Naumburg prizes. Today they continue a rigorous schedule of international tours. As with all the finest quartets, Brentano’s members—violinists Mark Steinberg and Serena Canin, violist Misha Amory, and cellist Nina Maria Lee—are individually gifted players of the first rank. Their latest release is an unusual pairing of one of Mozart’s quartets dedicated to Haydn with the D-Major viola Quintet.


From the initial statement of the primary thematic material in the A-Major Quartet, the Brentano is at pains to give each line its individual expressive shape and proportion. Every gesture is imbued with meaning; every harmonic progression has a sense of inevitable forward momentum. The variations of the extended slow movement unfold as a series of vividly individual characters. The rich polyphonic textures of the Allegro non troppo finale, reflecting Mozart’s involvement with Bach’s music at the time, emerge in luminous colors and with breathtaking clarity.


Since one rarely encounters a string quartet followed by a quintet in either performances or recordings, hearing K 593 on the heels of the A-Major Quartet is astonishing: what an amplification of texture Mozart creates with the addition of another mezzo voice. The slow introduction to the opening Allegro is touching in its tenderness and uncertainty. In the Adagio, the dead-center intonation makes the chains of suspensions almost heart-rending. The Minuet, one of Mozart’s finest, is filled with contrast: savor, for instance, the delicacy of the pizzicatos in the Ländler-like trio. The joyous finale fairly bursts with ebullient vitality.


Technical values of the sound engineering, made at the Academy of Arts and Letters, one of New York City’s preferred recording venues, are extraordinarily high. All the nuances of the Brentano’s lean but fruity sound are evident. Antoine Mignon’s notes are evocative and well translated. Ultimately, of course, the performances are what matters. This is playing that, while employing modern instruments, is fully cognizant of the ways and means of 18th-century bows and gut strings. Vibrato is never applied reflexively, but appropriately functions as but one element of an arsenal of expressive devices. Put another way, this is a modern ensemble that has internalized the lessons of period-instrument practice, and with stunning results. These are intellectually cogent performances that never lose sight of the music’s inherent kinesthetic pleasures. Very highly recommended.


FANFARE: Patrick Rucker

Tracklist 8 tracks

  1. 1 I. Allegro 07:22
    Track
    1
    Title
    I. Allegro
    Duration
    07:22
    Composer
    Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
    Ensemble
    Brentano String Quartet
  2. 2 II. Menuetto 06:23
    Track
    2
    Title
    II. Menuetto
    Duration
    06:23
    Composer
    Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
    Ensemble
    Brentano String Quartet
  3. 3 III. Andante 12:22
    Track
    3
    Title
    III. Andante
    Duration
    12:22
    Composer
    Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
    Ensemble
    Brentano String Quartet
  4. 4 IV. Allegro 07:49
    Track
    4
    Title
    IV. Allegro
    Duration
    07:49
    Composer
    Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
    Ensemble
    Brentano String Quartet
  5. 5 I. Larghetto 09:58
    Track
    5
    Title
    I. Larghetto
    Duration
    09:58
    Composer
    Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
    Performer
    Hsin-Yun Huang
    Ensemble
    Brentano String Quartet
  6. 6 II. Adagio 07:08
    Track
    6
    Title
    II. Adagio
    Duration
    07:08
    Composer
    Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
    Performer
    Hsin-Yun Huang
    Ensemble
    Brentano String Quartet
  7. 7 III. Menuetto: Allegretto 05:11
    Track
    7
    Title
    III. Menuetto: Allegretto
    Duration
    05:11
    Composer
    Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
    Performer
    Hsin-Yun Huang
    Ensemble
    Brentano String Quartet
  8. 8 IV. Allegro 06:05
    Track
    8
    Title
    IV. Allegro
    Duration
    06:05
    Composer
    Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
    Performer
    Hsin-Yun Huang
    Ensemble
    Brentano String Quartet