Repertoire: The BEST Mozart String Quintets

[@vinylarchaeologist]

Just when I thought the Sunday has nothing to offer, out comes your video! Made my day. Thank you for existing and greetings from Europe!

[@DavesClassicalGuide]

You are so welcome!

[@pawdaw]

Totally agree. I would say that the G minor quintet K516 is the greatest of all Mozart's chamber works. Have long adored the Alban Berg Quartett with Markus Wolf.

[@DavesClassicalGuide]

What's not to love about that one?

[@alessandrodimeo6570]

You're the first one on earth I hear being so enthusiastic about the quintets. I'm glad someone has put me on the right track again. Thank you..

[@DavesClassicalGuide]

Happy to oblige--it's easy with that divine music!

[@constipatedlecher]

I just discovered K515 and 516; I'm blown away. I was slightly underwhelmed by the quartets, having first gotten to know Beethoven's quartets. I will try them again. But from the opening bar of K515, I knew this was something special. So operatic and grand! The extra viola creates such a big sound. And my goodness, 516 is so dark, and the third movement contains such poignance and beauty that I can barely stand it. Thanks for your awesome insights into these works.

[@jonathanhenderson9422]

The quartets took me longer to get into as well, but now I love them as much as the quintets and I find myself returning to them even more than Beethoven's and about as much as I return to Schubert's last 4. In the quartets I find Mozart strikes about the best balance he ever found between his unsurpassed melodicism and his formal and harmonic genius. The quintets do have more of a dramatic punch, but the quartets are incredibly rich works themselves, and I don't mind Mozart's "excess of notes" in the slightest.

[@constipatedlecher]

@@jonathanhenderson9422 Thank you for the recommendation!! I will return to Mozart's quartets; I've listened to a few of them once or twice, but they clearly deserve more digging into.

[@parissimons6385]

Fabulous music! Helpful descriptions and analysis, too. Thank you! And was pleased to hear your recommendations because the two sets I have and treasure on CDs are the Grumiaux Trio + set and the Talich Quartet +1 set (on Calliope). Before switching to CDs, I grew up with the Grumiaux Trio set on LPs...

[@bernardohanlon3498]

Dave - thank you for this. As someone who has adored Mozart for over 30 years, this is the first time I have been forced to confront the paradigm of his Quartets v his Quintets. As much as I love the Prussian Quartets - the last three - I have to concede that yes, the Quintets (by and large) operate in a higher realm. I also hasten to add that your apologia of the finale of K 516 is rectitude itself. Best wishes and thank you, B

[@jakobpetropoulos8850]

Bernard, greetings from sunny Athens - Greece. I am enjoying your reviews on Mozart and Bruckner at Amazon. As a passionate Mozartian my self, I would like you to share with me your favourite Mozart works...I always enjoy Mozart talks. Many thanks and stay safe.

[@bernardohanlon3498]

@@jakobpetropoulos8850 Thank you Jakob for the kind and generous comment. Here are the ten Mozart works that I could not live without in no particular order - Mass in C Minor (K 427); Sinfonia Concertante x 2 (K 297B and K 364); Piano Concerto in E Flat (K 449); Divertimento for String Trio (K 563); Don Giovanni (K 527); Marriage of Figaro (K 492); Jupiter Symphony (K 551)' Requiem (K 626) and Clarinet Quintet (K 581). What about yours, please Jakob? Best wishes from a wintery Melbourne, B

[@jakobpetropoulos8850]

@@bernardohanlon3498 Hello Bernard, thank you very much for your response. My list will include: Requiem, The Great Mass, Piano concertos no.9 and 23, string trio, the three da Ponte operas and sinfonia concertante K364. That was a tough task for me 😅, I could continue with piano sonatas, Prussian quartets, string quintets, Gran Partita etc. Mozart was really a gift for humanity. Now we have to continue with some of our favourite recordings of these masterpieces 😉

[@bernardohanlon3498]

@@jakobpetropoulos8850 Bravo my friend. I could have nominated your own list just as easily on my part. Wonders do not cease, Mozart-wise. Best wishes, B

[@jakobpetropoulos8850]

@@bernardohanlon3498 Many thanks my friend, best wishes to you as well...Oh..I should not forget to tell you that I am a fanatic Brucknerian as well, 7,8,9 are my favourites. From your comments I guess you have a soft spot for the Austrian Master. Take care.

[@flexusmaximus4701]

You make me chuckle you are so irreventialy candid. When Mozart was at his best, he is the best, when he was not, he was beautiful but,,has a sameness. I have always liked the Juilliard myself, but I grew up with the LPs. Thanks Paul G

[@1spitfirepilot]

Marvellous, Dave. I find myself in complete agreement with you on the final choices ( I didn't know the others). My wife, though, would have a different view on your 'there are several sets you need to have'.

[@wesmarshall8137]

Dear Dave, still another brilliant introduction to one of the great selections of music from any era. The only set I possess is the BIS, which I quite like but you have definitely given me more to consider. I was hoping to listen to you discuss K525 for two violins, viola, cello and double bass. I am a great fan of this quintet version because it always feels more interesting than the orchestral version. It changes from a fun divertimento to something almost rocket propelled. One of the many reasons I was hoping for your guidance is that whenever I search for it I am so inundated with orchestral versions that it is hard to tease out the quintet versions. I any case, thanks and keep up the good work.

[@davidkalinov4570]

Dave - Would you consider making a video about the Best Mozart String Quartets?

[@twigfarm4229]

Happy Holidays Dave! Thank you for another great recommendation. I picked up the Grumiaux set (the earlier 1991 Philips issue) & they are wonderful! Thank you. And Santa (my wife) was VERY good to me this year, bringing me my very own copy of Beethoven or Bust to replace the library copy I had to return PLUS Exploring Haydn AND Sibelius, the Orchestral Works, both complete with CDs!!!! Between these and your videos I will be very busy for the foreseeable future. Thanks again for everything & have a happy & healthy New Year! Dave

[@DavesClassicalGuide]

Thank you, and please thank Santa for me.

[@twigfarm4229]

@@DavesClassicalGuide Will do!

[@MrPaevo]

I miss my Telefunken LP box set of the Mozart string quintets played by the Danisches Streichquartett. I have the Grumiaux recording but have never warmed to it. It sounds as if he wants to hog all the limelight. Fortunately I came across a pristine copy of the Melos Quartet recording which I like very much.

[@kend.6797]

About 6 years ago I purchased a Japanese cd reissue of these works performed by the Barchet Quartet, originally recorded for vox in the late 50s I believe. I was surprised by how well the sound had held up; perhaps some miracles were worked in the remastering. At any rate, this is the only set I have at this point. When I purchased this I had never heard any of these works before, and one of the things I immediately noticed is how remarkable the opening movement of K. 593 is. Just a really cool movement. I do pull this set out once in a while and that movement is always the first thing I listen to. The Japanese set is out of print now. www.hmv.co.jp/en/artist_Mozart-1756-1791_000000000018888/item_Complete-String-Quintets-Barchet-Quartet-Kessinger-3CD_3658296/track/1/?

[@1984robert]

I'm glad you mentioned Orlando. That is my favorite Quintet set. I have The Salomon Quartet on Hyperion too. This is period instrument version and has interesting moments but unfortunately it is mainly uninteresting and sleepy for me. A friend of my suggested me the Amadeus Quartet version years ago (on DG). I have that too but I don't like. They play fast which is quite good sometimes but their playing is inaccurate and sloppy. I'm not a musician but it seems to me that they are not in top form on that recording.

[@jeffreywillson6275]

The string quintet with two violas was pioneered by Michael Haydn (the Salzburg Haydn). I find it instructive to compare the chronology of Mozart's chamber works with those of the Haydn brothers. J. Haydn wrote a series of string quartets culminating in Op. 20, and took a ten-year break until Op. 33. Mozart wrote the last of his early string quartets shortly after Haydn wrote Op. 20, and took the form up again after Haydn's Op. 33 came out. M. Haydn wrote some string quintets in the years before Mozart wrote the early one, and some more shortly before Mozart started writing his mature ones. Perhaps the works of both brothers inspired Mozart with the solutions to certain technical problems, or perhaps Mozart thought he could capitalize on trends by writing for these ensembles. For the Mozart quintets, I have the Grumiaux, Talich, and Orlando sets, and I like the Orlando best. Grumiaux's approach to intonation is not appealing to my ear -- it tends to Pythagorean tuning or even exaggerated narrowing of leading tones -- while the Talich seems to have less character in the shaping of melodies.

[@DavesClassicalGuide]

Thanks for sharing this with us all. Very interesting.

[@kedemberger8773]

Thank you for the wonderful survey and spot on appreciation. I don't believe the late quartets are all that successful too. Mozart's last year was pretty uneven but the best of it.. well. Grumiaux and Talich are wonderful and a shutout to Talich's wondrous Beethoven set. My Mozart chamber piece is, howveer, the E Flat divertimento for violin, viola and cello, I also think it's his greatest work ever, on a par with Beethoven's C sharp minor quartet and Bach's D minor chaconne. It's all so concise and pure and... bare.

[@Felipe.Taboada.]

Budapest string quartet, Columbia. The grumiaux set is also in the Philips complete Mozart edition, vol. 11.

[@MrPaevo]

Which recording, the late 1940s one or the early 1960s?

[@mbskara]

Thank you so much für this and for all of your work, which already brought me so much pleasure and many hours of fun "co-checking" your choices and opinions. Most inspiring! Two things: I never reach your level of admiration for the Talich recordings, because I always find the sound of them a bit dry. And: Did you hear the set of the Klenke Quartet with Harald Schoneweg? It's played in a somehat "HIP"-style but with modern instruments. For me, it has beautiful parts, although I'm not convinced totally. I also like the Takacs versions a lot. Allt the best from Berlin, Martin

[@DavesClassicalGuide]

I have the Klenke but am embarrassed to say that I haven't gotten to it yet. Thank you for reminding me!

[@RequiemAeternam01]

I think that Mozart's string quintets are underrated masterpieces. He didn't write nearly as many compared to his 23 string quartets, but the quintets are amazing in their own right. His first string quintet is actually K. 46, which is actually a transcription for string quintet of his Serenade in B flat major, K. 361 "Gran Partita". It's not known why the quintet was placed so early on in the Kochel catalogue, considering the Gran Partita is one of Mozart's middle works.

[@frgraybean]

Glorious music. I have the Nash Ensemble and the Grumiaux Trio sets. Have you considered doing a Mozart Horn Concertos video?

[@DavesClassicalGuide]

Honestly, no. I don't find them interesting enough and there are too many good performances with only minor differences between them.

[@johns9624]

Nail on the head as usual, David. Great music. For me, if you have the Mozart piano concerti (K175 onwards), the da Ponte operas, the Requiem, Clarinet Concerto and the string quintets, you've got the cream of Mozart, a fair chunk of the cream of all music. The Talich set is one that as soon as I heard it I knew my search for the ideal was over. Grumiaux's performances are fine but the recording is too edgy on my equipment, Arthur Grumiaux's violin peals paint off the walls but I'm sure it will reproduce more kindly on other systems. Incidentally there are two pronunciations of calliope in the dictionary, you've pretty well got one of them.

[@williamwhittle216]

Have always liked the Griller Quartet with Primrose, on Vanguard. Have you heard I? I also have the Grumiaux.

[@DavesClassicalGuide]

Yes. I have them, but they aren't favorites.

[@philippeyared2050]

They feel a bit overplayed to me

[@laurencegoode1387]

Great dissertation. I probably favor the Griller over all. Perhaps the Danish next. Then the mono Budapest, not the stereo. After that, would concur with Talich, Grum.., Julliard, Budapest Stereo, etc., as you listed are all superb. I also like the Tatrai, Pascal and - don't shoot me - the Amadeus. Not so much Barchet, but yes on Barylli. There are others. Guess the most presentient take away from your talk is the music is the greatest thing written by humans and that there are so many great performances. Only less than item is that I would agree that the Salomon? probably could be avoided. Shame as their Quartets and their Haydn is some of my favorites of the kind. People gots to hear this music and in every set they can lay their paws on.

[@colinwrubleski7627]

The g- quintet is in your opinion the darkest? Hmmm... I would nominate the Adagio and Fugue in c-, K. 546, for strings. The Fantasia in f- for organ is rather sombre as well.

[@guacamole7493]

Blasphemy! Mozart's music too many notes! Sir, you should be exiled from KZbin! 😁

[@montanamontana80]

And Amadeus Quartet?

[@simontrezise8495]

Are they still issuing the Grumiauxs with pasted-in exposition repeats? Perhaps memory is playing tricks, but I don't recall the repeats on LP.

[@andreashelling3076]

Interesting that Bruckner also wrote a string quintet with the same combination, the only major chamber work from him , seldom performed

[@andreashelling3076]

Maybe its too symphonic for being a chamber work, anyway a heavinly adagio

[@jorgemittelmann620]

A sublime adagio and a wonderful quintet overall... Thanks for bringing this up!!!

[@mauroluna7310]

No period instruments sets mentioned. What about Hausmusik on Virgin Veritas for the four last quintets?

[@DavesClassicalGuide]

Nope.

[@mauroluna7310]

@@DavesClassicalGuide Plain and simple. Love this straightforward sincerity of the Americans. If here in Brazil we did not quibble so much we would be a much better country(but, do not get me wrong, I still love my country). Here people would find this answer too rough and would feel offended, not me.Wish we were like you Americans on this matter.Regarding the quoted set, although it is not on top of my list, I think it is the most successful period instruments effort.

[@stephenkeen2404]

Prazák Quartet did a live recording of the D and G minor which I enjoy, but I mainly listen to Talich. Any recommendations for the K. 388 Serenade? I'm listening to the Budapest Wind Ensemble and it sounds the best so far.

[@DavesClassicalGuide]

Go with whatever pleases you. I like Ensemble Philidor on (formerly) Calliope especially, but there are lots of good versions of the wind serenades. Wonderful works! I've got to do the Gran Partita soon.

[@stephenkeen2404]

So I've rediscovered (for more times than I care to admit) my DG recording of K. 375 & K. 388 by the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra. I have always enjoyed this recording, but keep forgetting to listen to it.

[@stephenkeen2404]

@@DavesClassicalGuide Thought I'd let you know that I keep looking for this on Qobuz (not there), but found a delightful recording of theirs called "Armonia della Notte." Very eclectic: Haydn, Mozart, Branka, Krommer and Vaclav Havel (loved the farm animals). I'm sure you have a copy, but you might dig it out again as a fun listen.

[@DavesClassicalGuide]

@@stephenkeen2404 Thanks!

[@markmiller3713]

My "fly on the wall" moment would be to hear Bach play his Goldberg Variations.

[@kimjy7118]

05:49 It's the Serenade no.12 not Divertimento! Anyway, thank you for another great video!

[@morrigambist]

Compare the finale of the G minor to the finale of Beethoven's Op. 95 ("Serioso").

[@DavesClassicalGuide]

Good point!

[@markzacek237]

Dave, I think the Griller Quartet with William Primrose tell me just about everything I need to know about the quintets. Absolutely superb. Do you know these performances? I was expecting them to be among your top recommendations.

[@mauroluna7310]

Good remark! The Griller on Vanguard are among the greatest recordings of all time.

[@DavesClassicalGuide]

Not in my opinion. Very good, but not on my short list.

[@toddschurk8143]

“Without doubt this is one of the very greatest chamber music recordings ever made." In a 2004 review of the Griller Mozart string quintets ClassicsToday.com critic David Hurwitz writes, “Without doubt this is one of the very greatest chamber music recordings ever made. The Griller Quartet remains a legend among enthusiasts… Sure, there’s a touch of hiss, but the basic sound is of demonstration quality in its clarity and warmth. This is as good as it gets.”

[@markzacek237]

Busted! 🧐

[@clavichord]

To be honest, on the whole I find Haydn's string quartet writing superior to that of Mozart, but Mozart shows he can really excel in string chamber music writing when it came to his string quintets... why this is, I do not know, was Mozart more inspired when writing his string quintets? Not everyone will agree with me, I guess ... but I seem not to be the only person coming to this general conclusion.

[@DavesClassicalGuide]

No, lots of people agree with you, including me, as I have said multiple times.

[@johnmontanari6857]

You should only check out something called Ensemble Fratres doing K. 593 on Editions Hortus. Hilarious! Then again, it might provoke another Currentzis attack.

[@johnmontanari6857]

Addenda: My tops for 515/516, FWIW, is Alban Berg Quartet with Markus Wolf. Also, I was saddened to read that Jan Talich, Sr., founder of the Talich Quartet, had died in April. The chamber series I book in western Mass. presented the "next generation" Talich Quartet with Jan, Jr. on three occasions -- as beautiful-sounding a quartet as I've ever heard live, and charming fellows as well. A KZbin channel where you can discuss Mozart Quintets -- how cool is that?

[@stephensitarski617]

No Amadeus?

[@DavesClassicalGuide]

Should there be?

[@mauroluna7310]

In my opinion, the earlier, mono set, is wonderful indeed.

[@stephenkeen2404]

I'm listening to a DG high definition release of Amadeus, and it doesn't sound as good as the CD quality Phillips of Grumiaux.

[@mauroluna7310]

@@stephenkeen2404 Which recording are you listening to: The earlier from the fifties or their second issue? I only like the older set in mono. Of course, the recordings do not have state of the art sound, but are still marvelous.

[@stephenkeen2404]

@@mauroluna7310 1962 recording in stereo.

[@AdiMaco]

It is a shame that I have not found any of your recommended interpretation on Tidal. Shame on you Tidal!