Search - Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Grumiaux Trio, Arthur Grumiaux :: Divertimenti

Major Mozart, Neglected

Giordano Bruno | Wherever I am, I am. | 05/11/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Mozart himself almost sealed the neglected fate of this magnificent composition by writing at least twenty-three string quartets and only one string trio. Yet this is not a miniature or minor work; at roughly fifty-one minutes, it's longer than any of the qaurtets, and its KV 563 designation suggests that it was a mature composition, a supposition borne out fully by the style of the piece. More than any but the last six of the quartets, the musical "action" is boldly distributed to all players, and considerable virtuosity is required to perform it. In six movements, it's an unusually expansive and various work as well. The fourth movement andante, for instance, is a boldly dissonant Rococo exercise in counterpoint, perhaps a reaction to Mozart's discovery of Bach. The violin passage work in the first movement and at times thereafter is among the most florid Mozart ever penned. The whole trio, in fact, is a showpiece of the expressive and athletic capabilities of the violin, viola, and cello.



There are only a few CDs available of KV 563. I've given this performance by the Grumiaux Trio all five stars partly because of availability. Honestly, the performance is adequate but hardly more. I much prefer the version by Francois Fernandez, Ryo Terikado, and rainer Zipperling, which is included in the Brilliant Classics Complete Mozart box."