Mozart: Flute Quartets, Nos. 1-4

On this CD:

1. Quartet for flute, violin, viola & cello, No. 1 in D major, K. 285
Composed by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Performed by Villa Musica Ensemble, Jean-Claude Gerard, Martin Ostertag, Enrique Santiago, Erno Sebestyen, Wolfgang Guttler

2. Quartet for flute, violin, viola & cello, No. 2 in G major (K. 285a)
Composed by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Performed by Villa Musica Ensemble, Jean-Claude Gerard, Martin Ostertag, Enrique Santiago, Erno Sebestyen, Wolfgang Guttler

3. Quartet for flute, violin, viola & cello, No. 3 in C major, K. Anh. 171 (K. 285b)
Composed by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Performed by Villa Musica Ensemble, Jean-Claude Gerard, Martin Ostertag, Enrique Santiago, Erno Sebestyen, Wolfgang Guttler

4. Quartet for flute, violin, viola & cello, No. 4 in A major, K. 298
Composed by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Performed by Villa Musica Ensemble, Jean-Claude Gerard, Martin Ostertag, Enrique Santiago, Erno Sebestyen, Wolfgang Guttler

Tracks:

I. Andante
II. Menuetto
III. Rondo: Allegretto
Adagio - Allegretto
I. Allegro
II. Adagio
III. Rondeau: Allegro
I. Allegro
II. Andante
III. Allegro

Tracks:

I. Allegro
II. Andantino Con Variazioni
I. Andante
II. Tempo Di Menuetto
I. Allegro
II. Adagio
III. Rondeau: Allegretto
I. Andante
II. Menuetto
III. Rondo: Allegretto Grazioso, Ma Non Troppo Presto, Pero Non Troppo Adagio

Customer Reviews:

Great chamber music with a few minor issues........2005-05-31

There is a lot of great chamber music here. The members of the Nash Ensemble sound excellent and perform the music with style and ease. There are a few minor things that bother me about the recording that may or may NOT bother another listener:

Clarinet Trio - brialliant playing by all three instrumentalists. Clarinet tone is especially good and the production is well balanced (unlike other recordings I've heard in which the viola part tends to be dominated by the other two). My only concern is that the piano, although wonderfully played, sounds distant.

Adagio and Rondo - is actually played on piano as opposed to the glass harmonica (the rare instrument for which the piece was originally written). It's a very common substitution in modern times.

Oboe Quartet - very well played by all, no complaints here

Horn Quartet - also well played, beautiful horn tone and ensemble balance is great. The rondo is taken very fast and is quite good. My only complaint is in some of the horn trills prior to cadences which I felt were a little timid for my taste.

Flute Quartets - all four are recorded here and are beautifully played. Tempos are great and style is perfect. One minor concern was the flute tone on some extreme register notes seemed just a tad "pipey", but perhaps this was a creative decision on the part of the artist.

Overall, this is an excellent recording of a great deal of Mozart's best chamber music. My rather picky observations would bring the rating to four and a half stars, but since reviewers cannot use half stars here, I shall do the decent thing and round up. Enjoy the music.