Search - Amadeus Quartet :: Haydn: Emperor; Sunrise; Mozart: Hunt [Germany]

GOLDEN OLDIES

DAVID BRYSON | Glossop Derbyshire England | 01/16/2005

(4 out of 5 stars)

"In their time the Amadeus quartet, which dissolved itself following the death of their viola player Peter Schidlof, were probably the biggest `name' among classical string quartets. They were a safe bet in almost anything they played, although they never seemed to me to scale the final heights as their contemporaries the Allegri often did, and in more recent years the Borodin quartet among others.



That is basically my reaction to this record too. It has been digitally remastered, and the sound-quality is just a little coarse to my ears, although very clear. Obviously the group took their name after Mozart, and they are probably more closely associated with him and with Haydn than with any other composers. They were not specialists to the extent of using or researching Urtext editions, a fact I happen to know on good authority, but nor am I as far as these particular works are concerned, so ignorance is bliss to that extent, and this is certainly well within my idea of idiomatic playing of 18th century chamber music. Tempi seem very fair and reasonable to me throughout all the three quartets here, the players' technical proficiency and good ensemble are as reliable as ever, and the sense of dedication is something that never fails from them either.



For newcomers to this music this disc is a sound recommendation, and for collectors it will be an automatic one. It would have been pleasant to give the record 5 stars, but if I give 5 stars to this what do I give to productions that have something more special about them?



There are two liner-notes, a short and rather nondescript one on the Mozart work by Robin Golding and a lengthier effort on the two Haydn pieces by the eminent expert H.C. Robbins Landon that gets on my nerves slightly by obsessively `selling' the music. On the other hand, I might almost have wished that the playing had taken a few risks here and there too. As usual with the Amadeus, double-bar repeats in the first movements are not made."

Venerable performances!

Hiram Gomez Pardo | Valencia, Venezuela | 01/24/2008

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Amadeus Quartet always kept that serene lyricism and sheer musicality that one expect from Mozart. This album in its moment was a true reference item, due the exultant and cheerful expression.



I recommended it without hesitation.

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