Mozart: String quartets No17; String quartets No19

Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
This offering from the Melos Quartet is the recording of choice for the two "name" quartets in Mozart's set of six dedicated to Joseph Haydn; at this price, it's frankly a steal. The accounts are buoyant and brilliantly played, delivered with the kind of polish that does not so much dazzle as allow one to see beneath the surface into the expressive grain of the music. The recorded sound is close but well balanced, and dry enough to let the instruments speak and sound as they do in a real chamber environment. One of the benefits of this approach is that it allows the substantial tonal differences between first and second violins to register, as though the two were different personalities. --Ted Libbey

Tracks:

String Quartet In B Flat Major, KV 458, 'The Hunt': 1. Allegro vivace assai
String Quartet In B Flat Major, KV 458, 'The Hunt': 2. Menuetto moderato
String Quartet In B Flat Major, KV 458, 'The Hunt': 3. Adagio
String Quartet In B Flat Major, KV 458, 'The Hunt': 4. Allegro assai
String Quartet In C Major, KV 465, 'Dissonance': 1. Adagio - Allegro
String Quartet In C Major, KV 465, 'Dissonance': 2. Andante cantabile
String Quartet In C Major, KV 465, 'Dissonance': 3. Menuetto. Allegro
String Quartet In C Major, KV 465, 'Dissonance': 4. Allegro

Amazon.com

This offering from the Melos Quartet is the recording of choice for the two "name" quartets in Mozart's set of six dedicated to Joseph Haydn; at this price, it's frankly a steal. The accounts are buoyant and brilliantly played, delivered with the kind of polish that does not so much dazzle as allow one to see beneath the surface into the expressive grain of the music. The recorded sound is close but well balanced, and dry enough to let the instruments speak and sound as they do in a real chamber environment. One of the benefits of this approach is that it allows the substantial tonal differences between first and second violins to register, as though the two were different personalities. --Ted Libbey

Customer Reviews:

A meticulous performance -- woke me up.......2003-08-06

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.

First rate.......2003-04-26

I enthusiastically recommend this disk. Never mind the bargain price, these are first-rate performances very well recorded. The interpretation of the Melos Quartet is insightful. It isn't intrusive but does illuminate the music and at the same time is very musical, as is the sweet tone these players produce. I agree, incidentally, that the Melos players bring coherence - and musicality - to the opening of the "Dissonance" that aren't there in all performances of it.

I just got this disk and have played it only a couple of times, but my enthusiasm was immediate. I look forward to listening to it many times more.

Gorgeous music, horrid notes.......2001-03-13

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.

Great buy.......2000-06-23

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.

Mozart: String quartets No17; String quartets No19

Average customer rating:

Mozart: String quartets No17; String quartets No19

Manufacturer: Calliope
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Quartets | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music

Classical | Box Sets | Stores | Music
ASIN: B000001MMM
Release Date: 1996-01-09

Average customer rating:

Mozart: String quartets No17; String quartets No19

Manufacturer: Calliope France
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Quartets | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music
ASIN: B00008ESZP
Release Date: 1995-09-01

Average customer rating:

Mozart: String quartets No17; String quartets No19

Manufacturer: Praga
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Quartets | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music
ASIN: B000005W0X
Release Date: 1996-08-10

Track Listings:

Track Listings

track listings

Track Listings

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