Customer Reviews

Alban Berg Quartet Mozart: String Quartets Nos. 14 - 23

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This 4-CD set contains Mozart's most monumental (and last) quartets, including the six quartets dedicated to his dear friend and colleage Joseph Haydn, the lone "Hoffmeister quartet" and the last "Prussian" quartets. All are masterpieces of the genre, especially the "Haydn's" which Mozart (uncharacteristically) toiled long and carefully to compose out of respect and admiration for his elder friend. Upon hearing these performed, Haydn pronounced to Mozart's father the now-famous quote about young Mozart being the greatest composer he knew in person or by reputation. As the pioneer of the modern quartet, Haydn knew great quartet writing when he heard it and he was right - these turned out to be among Mozart's greatest chamber works. (the quintets perhaps being the only greater works).

The Austrian Alban Berg Quartet executes these quartets with their characteristic and supreme suppleness, precision and elegance. "Polished" is a common description I see concerning their style. The music here sounds really, really great - for the perfectly honed compositions of Mozart to the impeccable performances of the Berg to the clear, vibrant sound quality. I normally favor the Quatuor Mosaiques for quartets, but here for Mozart's quartets, I think The Alban Berg Quartet is hard to beat. Indeed, this is what Penguin Guide concluded who awarded this set with a "Recommended Recording" and described it as "one of the most distinguised sets of the late quartets that has not been surpassed." What also makes this set so valuable is that it contains the last three quartets in addition to the Haydn Quartets - an obvious but not so common coupling. So, all the above factors make this set highly desirable and a fabulous value. (I think Teldec "left some money on the table" here ...). PS: Their complete cycle of Beethoven's string quartets also get rave reviews for similar reasons.

I am assuming if you are reading this, I don't really have to say anything technical about Mozart or these GREAT late string quartets.
I am only writing this review to let you know...
For anyone who is disappointed with the performance and sound quality of The Berg Quartet's EMI Mozart collection of these same quartets, this is a horse of a different color.
This is THE Bergs we all know and love and nobody before or since has made Mozart's string quartets sound this good.
Perfect intonation, TONE, blend, dynamics and yes, PASSION.
I've had many collections of these works and this leads the field. BY FAR.
THIS ONE HAS IT ALL....
And the Teldec sound stage is the cleanest and crystal clear you'll ever hear.
With wonderful front to back depth and air around every note.
Demonstration sound with great imaging and transparency.
You can "literally" step inside this recording. Well you know what I mean.
It really doesn't get any better than this.

Some may argue that everything Mozart wrote was inspired, but just not equally inspired; and this seems especially true of his quartets. His mature quartets are much stronger than his earlier ones, just as his later symphonies are much more developed than those he wrote earlier on. Nevertheless, those who want a complete set of the Mozart quartets might want to investigate the Talich's set on Calliope. It comes highly recommended by a number of critics (Gramophone, Penguin Guide, Classics Today etc) and was also awarded the Grand Prix du Disque and the Diapasson d'Or.

This set of later Mozart quartets (#14-23) by the Alban Berg Quartett is an outstanding way to go for those who want to focus on the most interesting works. Other reviewers have pointed out the ABQ's merits, however, to correct a minor error in another Amazon review, these Teldec recordings were not made in the 1990's but instead date from 1976-79. The sound is excellent - I found the Tallich Quartet's recordings, which date from 1984-1993, unnaturally subdued by comparison.

I own the both the ABQ and the Tallich sets and can say that had I bought this ABQ set first, I never would have purchased the complete Tallich set. As it turns out, I rarely listen to the early works and the compressed sound is a negative.

Those who are looking for the later Mozart quartets, of which there is no shortage of recordings, will be very satisfied with this set.

Highly recommended!

How, or more importantly, WHY are these out-of-print? Of the many performances of Mozart's late quartets I have heard (including Amadeus quartet, Talich quartet, Alban Berg's later set on EMI, Hagen quartet, Quartetto Italiano, Ysaye Quartet, Quatuor Mosaique), these are at the top of the pile. The Alban Berg plays these well-worn pieces with an unerring sense of voicing, timing, intonation and balance, traits that have become hallmarks of the ensemble. They also play these works with a certain innate Viennese charm that is often absent in other recordings. They blend well when called for, yet also maintain strong individual voicing when needed. Overall performances are fairly idiomatic and consistently good-to-great across all 10 of the quartets, featuring slightly faster than average tempi, just the right amount of polish, and a certain ease of playing that simply cannot be faked. Their style fits Mozart perfectly. Performances such as these should be perennially available in the catalog, not as some expensive out-of-print set.
The recording quality is good, but not flawless; while the mid- and high-range are reproduced faithfully, the low-end could use a slight boost. The recording date is the most likely culprit (late 1970s). Still, all instrumental lines are clearly audible and it never gets in the way of my enjoyment of the music. Occasionally, the sound can be a bit close, but never suffocating.
All in all, these quibbles are minor. I like good recording quality as much as any listener, but the sound is still more than adequate and for performances of this calibre it's not a deal-breaker. While there are other contenders for just the Haydn quartets, the last four have never sounded this good. And as a set of all ten, this selection remains unsurpassed. I have other sets with better recorded sound at home, but they just gather dust these days while these discs spin away.
Highest recommendation.

The Alban Berg Quartet are legendary and these CD's contain some of their best work. They seem like one instrument and it is difficult to imagine a closer ensemble.

Particularly affecting are the slower movements, where Mozart's sublime music is allowed time to breathe and expand as it should.

BUY THESE DISCS AND YOU WON'T REGRET IT!

I think ABQ are simply the best period. I have been mesmorized by their playing on Beethoven's String Quartets and this Mozart's Later Quartets!
Just beautiful playing-like one instrument in execution and yet separate too. The notes become a caress, a breeze, a quake, a collage of sound. ABQ consistantly serve up a feast for the ears and mind. It's too bad this quartet is disbanding in July of 2008. Thank goodness they have left listeners with many recordings to enjoy. This is a worthy addition to your music collection - superb playing and pristine recording.

The other reviewers have spelled out this set's numerous merits. I would just like to reiterate that the recorded sound is beyond superlative. They are quite simply the finest sounding quartet recordings I know. Terms like "golden" with regard to sound are trite and overused, but upon re-listening to these CDs that I bought years ago, that's the word that came to mind. The first violinist's instrument especially merits the word.

These are absolutely fabulous string quartets, and the performance and sound quality are flawless. I would buy them again in a heartbeat if I wanted a second set. Buy it. You won't be disappointed.

PackJac

String Quartets are my favorite music. These ten quartets are of course among the great gifts from Mozart and these recordings are the best that I have heard. The sound quality is great. The tempo. The lyricism. I am always looking for other recordings that can compete, but I have not found any.