Quintets for Piano Oboe Clarinet Horn & Bassoon

On this CD:

1. Quintet for piano, oboe, clarinet, horn & bassoon in E flat major, Op. 16
Composed by Ludwig van Beethoven
Performed by Henk de Graaf, Hans Meijer, Martin Van Der Merwe, Peter Gaasterland, Klara Wurtz

2. Quintet for piano, oboe, clarinet, horn & bassoon in E flat major, K. 452
Composed by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Performed by Henk de Graaf, Hans Meijer, Martin Van Der Merwe, Peter Gaasterland, Klara Wurtz

Tracks:

I. Largo - Allegro Moderato
II. Larghetto
III. Rondo. Allegretto
I. Grave - Allegro Ma Non Troppo
II. Andante Cantabile
III. Rondo - Allegro Ma Non Troppo

Customer Reviews:

Overrated.......2006-02-20

I had this recording for years but could never warm to it. Perahia and his companions play a fine, poetic version of a work that Mozart said was the best thing he had written to date, but are let down by an overly spacious sound picture. The winds sound like distant bystanders, and a good rather than great performance is not enough to overcome this. Perhaps Perahia's reputation has elevated the status of this recording beyond its true merit. A decent version, but not one that can eclipse the very best rivals. Try the classic version with Gieseking on Testament if you want to hear a performance that can render you unmindful of lackluster sound.

Two excellent piano and wind quintets .......2005-10-14

This is a fine performance of two similar pieces. Both are in E-flat major. Both are for the same five instruments: piano, oboe, clarinet, horn, and bassoon. They were written twelve years apart. One is by Mozart, from 1784. And yes, after he finished it, he wrote to his father that he felt it was the best work he had ever composed. Of course, that was before he wrote his last four symphonies and nearly half his piano concertos.

Murray Perahia (piano), Neil Black (oboe), Thea King (clarinet), Anthony Halstead (horn), and Graham Sheen (bassoon) are superb in these performances.

I was introduced to these works when four of my friends, a pianist, an oboist, and horn player, and a bassoonist were looking for a couple of pieces to play. I grabbed my clarinet and found the music. I like both of them. I especially like the closing coda and unusual cadenza in the Mozart piece, but there are fine themes throughout it.

Beethoven was still a young composer when he wrote his quintet in 1796. It was before he wrote most of the works that made him so famous: by then he had written about ten sonatas (including the Pathetique) and a couple of piano concertos. But it is a fine piece as well, and once again, I especially like the finale.

This CD is not all that long (less than 53 minutes), but the price is reasonable and the music is great. I recommend it.

The Mozart and Beethoven Piano and Wind Quintets.......2004-11-28

I was enchanted with Mozart's Quintet for Piano and Winds, K. 452, when I heard it on a CD featuring Dennis Brain performing the Mozart horn concertos. I wanted to explore this work further and hear it together with Beethoven's Quintet opus 16. I was eager to compare at first-hand two similar compositions, one by Mozart at the height of his powers the other by Beethoven as a rising young musician in Vienna. This CD with pianist Murray Perahia and members of the English Chamber Orchestra is an admirable way to get to know these works and to develop one's ear for music.

Mozart's composed his quintet in March, 1784 when he was also writing his famous series of piano concertos. He described it as "the best work I have ever composed". The work is scored for the unusual combination of piano, oboe, clarinet, horn, and bassoon. The combination of piano and winds had special appeal for Mozart, as witnessed by the interplay between piano soloist and wind band in many of the piano concertos.

This three-movement quintet is highlighted by an exquisite interaction among the five instruments with none predominating over the other. It is a delight to hear every instrument play alone, in duets and trios with others, and in ensemble passages. Mozart uses the full tonal colors of each instrument and he displays them in almost every imaginable combination with each other.

The first movement opens with a majestic largo which flows into a lyrical allegro moderato with two primary themes. There are alternating chordal and scalar passages, passages for piano and the wind quartet, and passages where each instrument takes its turn. The slow movement, marked larghetto, is tranquil in character with an opening theme which dips into sadness. There is a brief, dramatic middle section featuring a horn solo before the return of the opening theme. The finale is a rondo which at the end broadens out into a cadenza in which each of the five instruments enters in turn playing contrapuntally to each other. This is one of the moments in Mozart which looks toward the final five-part fugual section in the finale of the Jupiter symphony. The work closes with a flourish and a brief return of the rondo theme.

When he came to Vienna for good in November 1792, Beeethoven hoped to make his way as a pianist as well as a composer. He also worked, as do many aspiring artist, by taking works by has masters as models and attempting to emulate and surpass them.

Beethoven tried to do so with his opus 16 quintet for piano and winds. Beethoven took Mozart's unusually scored work as a model and tried both to learn from it and also to show that he could compose in his own voice. His quintet,written in 1796, is the work of an ambitious fledgling composer while Mozart's quintet shows him at his best.

The quintet is modeled in form upon Mozart's with a slow introduction to the opening movement, a song-like middle movement, and a rondo finale. But there are major differences. At this point of his life, Beethoven composed to show off his virtuoso skills on the piano. The technology of the piano had advanced in the 12 years since Mozart's work; and Beethoven tried to take advantage of the capabilities of the instrument to display his incomparable technique. The opus 16 quintet is much more directed to the piano than is Mozart's. There are flashy runs up and down the keyboard, long trills, dramatic shifts of tempo, and heavy chords. The piano is at the forefront much of the time and, when the work was performed with Beethoven at the keyboard, he is said to have improvised long solo passages. That said, there are still fine solo passages in this quintet for each of the wind instruments.

Beethoven also put something of his own style into this early quintet. It is full of brash, flamboyant passages, changes in tempo, and sudden dynamic changes, all of which are foreign to the balance Mozart achieved in his quintet. There is an immediate, popular appeal to the younger composer's early work, while Mozart's quintet is far more subtle. Lewis Lockwood, a leadig Beethoven scholar, is critical of this quintet, finding it lacks "Mozart's perfect blend of imagination and restraint." Lockwood, Beethoven: the Music and the Life", p. 109 (2003)

The first movement consists of a long slow introduction -- marked grave -- which is not at all solemn and which leads into a dance-like opening allegro. The work moves along lyrically with some dramatic outbursts during the development section. The musical highpoint of this work is the second movement, marked andante cantabile. The movement opens with a slow theme in the piano which returns, after interludes, full of embellishment and filigree. There is an extended horn solo in one of these interludes, just as Mozart used the horn to good effect in the slow movement of his quintet. The third movement is a rolicking rondo with movements into the minor, and a loud clangorous, sudden close on the piano.

We have, then, on this CD, two works in the same form one by a master and one by a rising young composer. Both are enjoyable to hear and, on one level, it is good to avoid the temptation to play them off against each other. But one work is a great masterpiece and the other work is a good start by a composer who would go on to write many of his own masterpieces.

Poor ensemble,poor recording..........2002-03-08

There is very little to speak about this performance except that perahia is a well known artist.the recording is poor and the volume level has to be cranked way up to listen comfortably!The ensemble is poor and despite playing these works at a slower pace they do not gel!
For a knockout performance of these beautiful works i recommend the Melodya recording of these works by Eliso Virsaladze(piano),anatoli Lubimov(oboe),Vladimir Sokolov(clarinet),anatoli Demin(French horn)and Sergei Krasavin(basoon).Recorded in 1975 this is a superb performance where the entire ensemble are in peak form and take these two works with a gay abandon .There is Dramatic and sensitive piano playing(not matched by Perahia!),a piercing oboe,a gliding clarinet,a sombre horn and a bassy basoon.I have only a compact Cassette of this recording and it is better than this DDD compact Disk!Just goes to show that technology and fame are not enough to match Quality Music Making!

Chamber Music in Same Key, Same Ensembe.......2001-04-17

Unusual group consisting of piano, oboe, clarinet, horn and bassoon play two pieces, each in E-flat major and each with three movements. Some say Beethoven composed his in honor of the older, or as competitive answer.

Whatever the motive, these are two fine recordings, with the superior piano performance of Perahia enhancing.

Tracks:

String Quintet In B Flat, KV 174 For 2 Violins, 2 Violas And Cello: 1. Allegro Moderato
String Quintet In B Flat, KV 174 For 2 Violins, 2 Violas And Cello: 2. Adagio
String Quintet In B Flat, KV 174 For 2 Violins, 2 Violas And Cello: 3. Menuetto Ma Allegretto
String Quintet In B Flat, KV 174 For 2 Violins, 2 Violas And Cello: 4. Allegro
String Quintet In C Minor, KV 406 (516h) For 2 Violins, 2 Violas And Cello: 1. Allegro
String Quintet In C Minor, KV 406 (516h) For 2 Violins, 2 Violas And Cello: 2. Adante
String Quintet In C Minor, KV 406 (516h) For 2 Violins, 2 Violas And Cello: 3. Menuetto In Canone
String Quintet In C Minor, KV 406 (516h) For 2 Violins, 2 Violas And Cello: 4. Allegro
Quintet In E Flat, KV 407 For Horn, Violin, 2 Violas, And Cello: 1. Allegro
Quintet In E Flat, KV 407 For Horn, Violin, 2 Violas, And Cello: 2. Andante
Quintet In E Flat, KV 407 For Horn, Violin, 2 Violas, And Cello: 3. Allegro
Adagio In B Flat, KV 411For 2 Clarinets And 3 Basset Horns

Tracks:

Quintet In E Flat, KV 452 For Piano, Oboe, Clarinet, Horn, And Bassoon: 1. Largo - Allegro moderato
Quintet In E Flat, KV 452 For Piano, Oboe, Clarinet, Horn, And Bassoon: 2. Larghetto
Quintet In E Flat, KV 452 For Piano, Oboe, Clarinet, Horn, And Bassoon: 3. Allegretto
String Qunitet In C, KV 515 For 2 Violins, 2 Violas, And Cello: 1. Allegro
String Qunitet In C, KV 515 For 2 Violins, 2 Violas, And Cello: 2. Andante
String Qunitet In C, KV 515 For 2 Violins, 2 Violas, And Cello: 3. Menuetto. Allegretto
4. Allegro

Amazon.com

If I could pick a musical premiere out of the past that I could have attended, I would probably choose one of those evenings when Mozart and Haydn took the two viola parts in the first performances of Mozart's string quintets. It's something to wonder at, anyway. The string quintets are not only Mozart's greatest chamber music, they are among the most profoundly inspired pieces of music by anyone for any instruments. Three of them can be found on this budget priced set, superbly performed, along with the Horn Quintet, and the Quintet for Piano and Winds, which inspired Beethoven to compose a not quite as successful sequel. Greatness, folks, pure and simple. --David Hurwitz

Customer Reviews:

Quintessential Quintets.......2007-03-07

This is an outstanding 2-disc set from Philips at an even more outstanding price! These enchanting chamber pieces by Mozart seem to float on air, and transport the listener to another place in time. While these works may not have the sweeping grandeur of his symphonies and operas, they possess a remarkable intimacy, spirit, and beauty. In a nutshell, these works capture the qualities that make Mozart's music in general so special. The vivid performance of the string version of the 1781 wind serenade K388, (which here is KV 406), may be the highlight of the entire set. Simply an indispensable Mozart compilation that will enrich your life for years to come!

The pinnacle of Mozart's chamber works.......2005-03-27

It is nearly universally agreed that Mozart's string quintets not only surpassed his earlier "Haydn" string quartets but are amoung his finest chamber compositions and in the entire clasical repetory. Particularly, the late string quintets, K515 & 516, are thought to be Mozart's pinnacle chamber compositions - exceedingly rich in texture and tone as well as perfected symmetry of form. This is a high-quality grouping of Mozart's wonderful and instrumentally-diverse quintets (strings, piano/winds and horn). One quintet in this first volume that may be the most special is the fairly unique quintet for piano and wind quartet - a composition that Mozart even thought to be his finest at the time of writing. Its delicacy and skill of blending the more complex and powerful tones of the clavier with the graceful, nuanced timbres of the winds shows Mozart's mastery of composing for winds.

The performances of the string quintets by the quintet featuring legendary violinist, Aurther Grumiaux, are cited in nearly every major review as a truly exceptional example of the art of chamber music playing. Gramophone, Jim Svejda, Penguin and Third Ear Guides all give them the highest ratings, while Gramophone concluded that, "This edition belongs in the pantheon of Great Mozart recordings." Additionally, Gramophone awarded the String Quintets here their highest award - one of the "Top 100 Recordings of All Time" - which is an accolade about as high as you can get. The performances have that distinct polished Grumiaux elegance and tonal opulance while the recorded sound is of the highest clarity.

Philip's Quintets I and II is an absolutely superb, timeless set of four CD's that contain some of the creme of the classical chamber repertoire. It will be hard to find a better compilation of this calibre. Chamber enthusiasts will want to get both Vol.I and II as each set contains 2-3 major works that are treasured by many a Mozart fan. A wonderful investment that will reward the listener for a lifetime.

Mozartian bliss.......2000-06-30

This is a particularly ethereal set of discs. The main works here are three String Quintets, played by an augmented Grumiaux Trio with total assurance & commitment. These are all ravishingly beautiful works. The Horn Quintet, where the soloist is Timothy Brown, is a happy and spirited piece, again wonderfully played. The only question mark surrounds the rather literal, even wooden performance of the Piano Quintet with Ingrid Haebler & The Bamberg Wind Quintet. Compared to Murray Perahia & his ECO Wind Players, the recoridng here sounds far too measured and unspontaneous. Nevertheless, this cannot detract from the magnificence of the other recorded works on this disc, which are all to be had a a very reasonable price.

Average customer rating:

A Textbook Performance

Mozart and Beethoven: Quintets

Manufacturer: Elektra / Wea
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Quintets | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music

The Chicago Principal: First Chair Soloist Play Famous Concertos

ASIN: B000005ECX
Release Date: 1994-09-06

Tracks:

Mozart Quintet KV 452 : Largo - Allegro moderato
Mozart Quintet KV 452 : Larghetto
Mozart Quintet KV 452 : Allegretto
Beethoven Quintet Opus 16 : Grave - Allegro, ma non troppo
Beethoven Quintet Opus 16 : Andante cantabile
Beethoven Quintet Opus 16 : Rondo - Allegro, ma non troppo

Customer Reviews:

A Textbook Performance.......2005-11-30

With such a fine group of musicians, how could you go wrong?

Barenboim plays with both precision and sensitivity, Combs plays with energy infused with his lovely tone, and both pieces are masterfully played by the ensemble with a solid sense of balance and excellent color. Chamber music leaves very little room for error, either individual or ensemble, but this recording was a smooth execution from all performers. What makes this album so enjoyable (and a great reference recording) is the attention to detail. Mozart's music is typically full of light lifts and gentle swells... without it, Mozart's effervescent playfulness is lost. The Beethoven is only slightly more boisterous at times, this being a rather early work in his career and still in the Classical Era.

Excellent for study or casual listening.

Average customer rating:

Piano and Wind Quintets

Manufacturer: Musica Viva
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Quintets | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music

Tracks:

Qnt in E flat, K.452: I. Largo - Allegro Moderato
Qnt in E flat, K.452: II. Larghetto
Qnt in E flat, K.452: III. Rondo. Allegretto
Qnt in E flat, Op.16: I. Grave - Allegro Ma Non Troppo
Qnt in E flat, Op.16: II. Andante Cantabile
Qnt in E flat, Op.16: III. Rondo: Allegro Ma Non Troppo
Qnt in E flat, Op.5: I. Adagio - Allegro Moderato
Qnt in E flat, Op.5: II. Adagio Cantabile
Qnt in E flat, Op.5: III. Menuetto (Allegro Molto)
Qnt in E flat, Op.5: IIII. Finale (Allegro)

Average customer rating:

Trios and Quintets for Winds and Piano

Manufacturer: Klavier
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Quintets | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

Trios | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music
ASIN: B000003M60
Release Date: 1996-06-18

Mozart, Beethoven: Piano and Wind Quintets in E flat

Average customer rating:

A Little Too Stately
Fine! ... but I've heard better.

Mozart, Beethoven: Piano and Wind Quintets in E flat

Manufacturer: Telarc
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Quintets | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music

$7.99 and Under | Classical Music Blowout | Stores | Music

All Classical Music Blowout | Classical Music Blowout | Stores | Music

Instrumental | Classical Music Blowout | Stores | Music
ASIN: B000003CTN
Release Date: 1990-10-25

Tracks:

I. Largo - Allegro Moderato
II. Larghetto
III. Rondo: Allegro Moderato
I. Grave - Allegro ma non troppo
II. Andante cantabile
III. Rondo: Allegro Ma Non Troppo

Customer Reviews:

A Little Too Stately.......2007-06-24

A good performance, affectionate and precise, sound is very good, Previn plays beautifully, but somehow the joy has been lost. Almost certainly because the performance is rather slow, the Mozart takes 12% longer than Haebler and the Bamberg Wind Quintet on Philips Duo. Disappointing, I expected a great interpretation, but I expect this Mozart to sparkle.

Fine! ... but I've heard better........2003-03-18

When I fist got this CD, I knew that this would be another fine addition to my Telarc CDs. Nice performances. Appropriate for taking it easy. Makes me think that whoever buys this would not go wrong.

But then I recently compared this to a Delos CD (by Carol Rosenberger on the Bosendorfer piano with 4 wind instrument players). I find the performances to be even better. The sound from the players are more distinctive. So if you want these Quintets by Mozart and Beethoven, then I would make the Delos CD the first choice. I don't know what would be my second choice, maybe the Telarc (or Naxos, although I MIGHT listen to that someday).

Tracks:

Allegro
Adagio
Rondeau. Allegro
Adagio
Rondo. Allegretto
Largo - Allegro Moderato
Larghetto
Allegretto

Rubinstein, Tcherepnin, Ippolitov-Ivanov: Quintets

Average customer rating:

Rubinstein, Tcherepnin, Ippolitov-Ivanov: Quintets

Manufacturer: Dynamic Italy
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Quintets | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music

Compilations | Classical | Styles | Music
ASIN: B0000521WE
Release Date: 2000-11-21

Mozart: Piano Quintets, Quartets, Trios, Etc.

Average customer rating:

Surprising!
Great chamber music

Mozart: Piano Quintets, Quartets, Trios, Etc.

Manufacturer: Philips
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Quartets | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

Quintets | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

Trios | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music
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Mozart - La finta semplice / Hendricks, Blochwitz, Lorenz, D. Johnson, Lind, Schreier
Mozart - Lucio Silla / Augér, Donath, Mathis, Varady, Krenn, Schreier; Hager
Mozart: Serenades and Divertimenti for Winds

ASIN: B00000410V
Release Date: 1991-04-05

Tracks:

Quintet In E Flat, KV 452 For Piano, Oboe, Clarinet, Horn And Bassoon: 1. Largo - Allegro moderato
Quintet In E Flat, KV 452 For Piano, Oboe, Clarinet, Horn And Bassoon: 2. Larghetto
Quintet In E Flat, KV 452 For Piano, Oboe, Clarinet, Horn And Bassoon: 3. Allegretto
Trio In E Flat, KV 498 For Piano, Clarinet And Viola 'Kegelstatt': 1. Andante
Trio In E Flat, KV 498 For Piano, Clarinet And Viola 'Kegelstatt': 2. Menuetto
Trio In E Flat, KV 498 For Piano, Clarinet And Viola 'Kegelstatt': 3. Rondeaux (Allegretto)
Adagio In C Minor And Rondo In C, KV 617 For Glass Harmonica, Flute, Oboe, Viola And Cello: 1. Adagio
Adagio In C Minor And Rondo In C, KV 617 For Glass Harmonica, Flute, Oboe, Viola And Cello: 2. Rondo
Adagio In C, KV 356 - 617a For Glass Harmonica

Tracks:

Piano Quartet In G Minor, KV 478: 1. Allegro
Piano Quartet In G Minor, KV 478: 2. Andante
Piano Quartet In G Minor, KV 478: 3. Rondo (Allegro moderato)
Piano Quartet In E Flat, KV 493: 1. Allegro
Piano Quartet In E Flat, KV 493: 2. Larghetto
Piano Quartet In E Flat, KV 493: 3. Allegretto

Tracks:

Piano Trio (Divertimento) In B Flat, KV 254: 1. Allegro assai
Piano Trio (Divertimento) In B Flat, KV 254: 2. Adagio
Piano Trio (Divertimento) In B Flat, KV 254: 3. Rondeau (Tempo di menuetto)
Piano Trio In G, KV 496: 1. Allegro
Piano Trio In G, KV 496: 2. Andante
Piano Trio In G, KV 496: 3. Allegretto (Thema mit Variationen)

Tracks:

Piano Trio In B Flat, KV 502: 1. Allegro
Piano Trio In B Flat, KV 502: 2. Larghetto
Piano Trio In B Flat, KV 502: 3. Allegretto
Piano Trio In E, KV 542: 1. Allegro
Piano Trio In E, KV 542: 2. Andante grazioso
Piano Trio In E, KV 542: 3. Allegro

Tracks:

Piano Trio In C, KV 548: 1. Allegro
Piano Trio In C, KV 548: 2. Andante cantabile
Piano Trio In C, KV 548: 3. Allegro
Piano Trio In G, KV 564: 1. Allegro
Piano Trio In G, KV 564: 2. Andante (Thema mit Variationen)
Piano Trio In G, KV 564: 3. Allegretto
Piano Trio In D Minor, KV 442: 1. Allegro
Piano Trio In D Minor, KV 442: 2. Tempo di minuetto
Piano Trio In D Minor, KV 442: 3. Allegro

Customer Reviews:

Surprising!.......2006-03-21

I was pleasantly surprised at the kind of music that this volume of the Complete Mozart Edition contains. I fully expected only piano music and, being more of a strings person, this set was among the last that got listened to from my entire collection. Well, surprise! It wasn't just piano -- it was chamber music written almost in a concerto style with many strings and wind accompaniment. This volume is now among the most cherished of my collection. So, whether you like piano, strings or winds, this volume will satisfy all. Mozart truly composed to please every ear. Viva il Maestro!

Great chamber music.......2003-06-24

Fantastic Mozart chamber music with a piano. Some real top-shelf stuff here. Played well; I have no complaints. Long live the Complete Mozart Edition.

Mozart & Beethoven: Quintets for Piano & Winds (Oboe, Clarinet, Horn, & Bassoon)

Average customer rating:

Well deserved acclaim

Mozart & Beethoven: Quintets for Piano & Winds (Oboe, Clarinet, Horn, & Bassoon)
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart & Ludwig van Beethoven , Alfred Brendel (piano) , Heinz Holliger (oboe) , Eduard Brunner (clarinet) , Hermann Baumann (horn) , and Klaus Thunemann (bassoon)
Manufacturer: Polygram Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music
ASIN: B00000E3IV
Release Date: 1990-10-25

Customer Reviews:

Well deserved acclaim.......2007-03-21

These are great musicians and their work on this album is further evidence of how masterfully these instruments can be played. Great composers, great musicians, great enjoyment every time I play it. Even for a 15 minute drive, a great escape.

Music Review:

Music Review

music review

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