Search - Cesar Franck, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Richard [1] Strauss :: Mozart: Clarinet Quintet; Cesar Franck: Piano Quintet; Richard Strauss: Prelude to Capriccio

These are "live" recordings in more ways than one: not only were they made under concert conditions, with plenty of audience noise, but the pickup is uncommonly bright, conveying lots of reflected sound and stage ambiance. The Amadeus Quartet turns in dependably stylish, well-thought-out performances, though there's little here that's exceptional. Martin Lovett, the group's cellist, comes off as a weaker player than his colleagues in places, while the quartet's guiding spirit, first violinist Norbert Brainin, proves erratic when it comes to rhythm, though his pitch in these vintage 1960-71 airchecks is much more secure than it would become in later decades. The real reason to be interested in this CD is the work of the two guest artists who join the Amadeus foursome in the main works. Of particular note is the playing of clarinetist Gervase de Peyer in the Mozart: elegant, precise, with that typically hollowed out but beautifully modulated tone. In the Franck (recorded in mono), pianist Clifford Curzon holds up his end most impressively, though he approaches the music somewhat icily in comparison with the fulminant address of his partners. Nonetheless, as played here, it's an imposing piece, to say the least. The sextet from Strauss's Capriccio makes a lovely closer. --Ted Libbey