Search - Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Melos Quartett Stuttgart :: Mozart: String Quartets "The Hunt", "Dissonance"

A meticulous performance -- woke me up

Soo Doe Nimh | United States | 08/06/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"These two quartets, among the other Mozart quartets, his string quintets, and particularly the late Beethoven quartets, lie within the nucleus of the string chamber repertoire, but I had not figured them out. I hadn't sensed the same richness in Mozart's Haydn Quartets as I easily see in the K515 and K516
string quintets.Then I heard this recording on XM satellite radio a few weeks ago, and it completely distracted me. I have three other recordings of these works, but this one shows texture and continuity that had escaped me until now. It has been in my car CD changer since then: I stopped to listen in the supermarket parking lot last night.So Amazon is as good a place as any to praise it. This recording reinforces something I usually forget, which is
that it's dangerous to assume you've heard enough good performances of any work. The Melos Quartett has a unity of purpose in their phrasing, seamlessly splicing phrases into larger elements; the texture of the whole group doesn't hide the texture of the individual voices. I can hear all four voices here, reminding me not to listen as if it's just a melodic line supported by lesser elements.The sort of recording could sell some books on chamber music: What is this particular game about?The execution in this recording suggests lots of takes, or lots of preparation. You'll hear perfect phrases that suggest the sessions were grueling. Ensembles having a good day together don't sound like one animal this way, do they?I don't have a thick Melos Quartett section in my CD rack, but I am also impressed with their Schubert quartets, particularly the early ones.Praise from a motivated reviewer."

Great buy

Pietro Kreitlon Carolino | Campinas, Brazil | 06/23/2000

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Thanks to the long time they've been together, the Melos Quartet delivers performances with a sense of unity that is almost without rivals. That certainly is the case with the two quartets in this disc. One example of this teamplay is how they negotiate the opening of the "Dissonance": even in this chaotic piece of music they achieve coherence, which gives it a whole new level of emotional impact. Similar pleasant surprises are to be found in their reading of the "Hunt". Deutsche Grammophon captures these intense performances on a nicely balanced CD, which keeps the texture from losing its transparency. Some may find the sound to be a little analytical at times, but the quality of the rest more than makes up for it."

Gorgeous music, horrid notes

Max | Seattle, WA USA | 03/13/2001

(4 out of 5 stars)

"The beauty of Mozart shines through this pair of quartets, which have been elegantly played and recorded on this CD. My daughters, who dote on the likes of "N'Sync", even ask me to play this! My only complaint is that the written notes accompanying the CD add nothing. I became interested in classical music recently through reading about the composers and their compositions. The fact that the notes for this CD were far below the usual Deutsche Grammaphon standard has left a sour aftertaste on this sweet recording."