Mozart: Piano Quartets

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (Composer), Menuhin Festival Piano Quartet (Performer) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Performer: Menuhin Festival Piano Quartet
• Composer: Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
• Audio CD (December 1, 1998)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Naxos
• ASIN: B00000FYA1
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #253,822 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

18 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Excellent!, July 24, 2000

By 

Mike Powers "mkp51" (Woolwich, ME USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Mozart: Piano Quartets (Audio CD)

This CD contains a pair of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's loveliest chamber music compositions. Mozart only composed two piano quartets in his brief but illustrious career, and both came relatively late in his life. The first (K.478) was completed in 1785, and the second (K.493) came a year later. These quartets show Mozart at "full stretch," with his chamber music style fully developed and at its most eloquent and imaginative.

I found these to be excellent performances. The Menuhin Festival Piano Quartet plays both masterpieces with great sensitivity and warmth. The first movements of both are played with bold majesty, especially in the opening measures. Inner movements are quietly serene and poetic. The G minor quartet's second movement has a beautifully played piano melody accompanied by the strings, while the central movement of the E flat major quartet takes the form of a superbly balanced musical conversation between all four instruments. The final movements of both quartets both have a joyfully exuberant dance-like quality which shows Mozart at his most cheerfully optimistic.

Overall, the CD sound quality is very good. The balance between the four instruments is almost perfect, giving the recording an excellent sense of realism and immediacy. However, the resonant acoustics of Clara Wieck auditorium, where the quartets were recorded, detract slightly from the intimate feel so essential in chamber music. Despite this very minor shortcoming, this remains a very enjoyable listening experience.

Highly recommended!

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Mozart Delight!, December 23, 2002

By 

Curtis Grindahl (San Anselmo, California USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Mozart: Piano Quartets (Audio CD)

I stumbled on this CD recently while looking for a performance by the Menuhim Festival Orchestra. I bought it based upon the fine review written below and have not been disappointed. My measure of a CD's quality is how long it remains on my six disc carousel. This CD has not left the carousel in the weeks since I first listened to it. I have no idea why my compatriot gave these performances only four stars. In my estimation they surely deserve five stars. That the CD costs less than the price of a movie ticket is at once a surprise and a delight. Thank you again Naxos! You make it possible for a classical music fan to build a credible library of fine music without having to mortgage the house.

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A hidden gem, March 31, 2005

By 

Ryan Richards "reb77" (Midland, MI United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Mozart: Piano Quartets (Audio CD)

There isn't much I can say about this recording that hasn't already been said. In short, the Menuhin Festival Piano Quartet gives impassioned, exuberant readings of these works that bring out their drama and ardor while still maintaining Mozartean precision and transparency of sound. The acoustics are a tad on the resonant side, which I prefer--but if you like your chamber music to sound more confined, this isn't the recording for you. That's the only possible fault I can find with this CD, though. Some Naxos classical CDs are good starter recordings until you can buy more "upscale" interpretations, but this isn't one of them--it's the only recording of these quartets I need. It sounds every bit as good as the classic recordings of Mozart's piano quartets and it's less than half the price. What else do you need to know?