With
these superb performances of Mozart’s Dissonance and Hoffmeister quartets the
exciting Belcea
Quartet firmly establish themselves as one of the finest
ensembles on the international chamber music scene. Monitoring
their progress, both in the recital hall and in the recording
studio, I have seen them go from strength to strength.
They have developed and attained a maturity rare in an
ensemble so young and it is good to see them recording
two great Mozart chamber scores in this his 250th birthday
year. This recording follows on the heels of their double
set of Britten’s three string quartets and three
Divertimenti on EMI Classics 5 57968 2; an outstanding
recording that I selected as one of my ‘Records of the
Year’.
By
1782 Mozart had become familiar with and admired many of
the great string quartets of Haydn, particularly the six ‘Russian’ quartets
Op.33. These opened up for him substantial artistic challenges
that he was to explore enthusiastically. Mozart did not
markedly advance the string quartet form as developed so
expertly by Haydn. However, Mozart’s individuality enabled
him to succeed with a depth of feeling and emotion, rarely
encountered in Haydn. He also had the courage to experiment
with progressive harmonic and melodic constructions.
The first work here is the quartet K465, known as the Dissonance which
was composed in Vienna in 1785. The
C major score is the last of Mozart’s Haydn Quartets and
it quickly gained the sobriquet Dissonance from
commentators and audiences alike for the adventurous harmonic
excursions of its slow introduction. In fact, some music
dealers in Italy returned the scores to the publisher thinking
that the rich chromaticisms were mistakes. The Hungarian
Prince Grassalkovics was so incensed by the score’s tonal
audacities that he tore up the parts from which his household
string quartet were performing. Even Haydn expressed some
initial shock but defended the bold prefatory chords by
saying, “Well, if Mozart wrote it, he must have meant
it.”
The confident power of the C major, K465 score
offers lively contrasts with rapidly changing moods, which
the Belceas, with dramatic intensity, aptly demonstrate.
They offer a security of ensemble that many leading quartets
should strive to emulate. In the extended opening movement adagio
- allegro the players provide an appealing vivacity
and considerable expression. The poignant second movement andante
cantabile is one of Mozart’s most beautiful lyrical
inspirations and in the hands of the Belceas the deep expressiveness
is conveyed with skill and sensitivity. The quartet displays its flexibility and control in
the sturdy and spirited third movement menuetto-allegro-trio that
alternates forte and piano with some abruptness.
In the finale the bright allegro pays homage
to the spirit of Haydn with the players in total control
bringing out the relaxed good humour of the movement.
The Hoffmeister K499 was planned to be the first
in a set of quartets, but it was never completed, so it
remains on its own. The year of its composition was 1786
in Vienna and its subtitle refers to Mozart’s friend, benefactor,
composer and publisher Franz Anton Hoffmeister. It is believed
that the work was composed either as a commission from
Hoffmeister or to settle a debt between them. The D
major score is characterised by a playful elegance,
yet it is underlined by what Alfred Einstein described
as, “despairing under a mask of gaiety.” Biographer
Alec Hyatt King refers to it as, “… a rather strange
work, that perhaps lacks the immediacy and touching qualities
of the best of its predecessors but [is] by no means inferior
to them in artistry. Such elusive, ambiguous music repays
prolonged study.”
The Hoffmeister is a gracious work and in the opening allegretto the
Belceas are appropriately clear and direct. The brief second
movement menuetto, also marked allegretto, has
unusually rich and dense textures which are robustly communicated.
The unsettling adagio, pervaded by luxuriant textures,
is given a deeply moving performance. Written with jeu
d’esprit the closing movement allegro contains
deft touches of surprise and is memorably performed with
dynamism and intensity.
There
are many available versions of the Dissonance and the Hoffmeister and the performance standard of is usually extremely
high. For me there is a straight choice between this release
using modern instruments on EMI Classics and the period-instrument
recordings from the award winning Quatuor
Mosaïques on Astrée Naïve. The Dissonance is on Astrée
Naïve E 8845 c/w K464 and the Hoffmeister on Astrée Naïve
E 8834 c/w
K589 (or both as part of a five disc Mozart box
on Astrée
Naïve E 8889). With playing of real distinction, that is
high on expression, purity and artistry, the interpretations
from the Mosaïques offer
new insights. These Astrée Naïve releases are beautifully
presented and most have the advantage of state-of-the-art
sound with a mid-price tag offering an extra incentive.
However, the Mosaïques recording
of the Hoffmeister has an extremely bright sound which some
commentators have found problematic.
As
an alternative to the above recordings I strongly admire
the accounts from the Alban Berg Quartet recorded between
1976 to 1979 and now available separately on two, mid-price,
double sets from Warner Classics Elatus. These performances
are invigorating and immediate with extra ingredients of
style and expressive beauty. The K499 is on Elatus 2564 60678-2 c/w K387, K458, K421, K428
and K465
is on Elatus 2564 60809-2 c/w K464, K575, K589, K590.
In summary this memorable EMI Classics release is hard
to beat. The sound quality is bright, clear and well balanced
and the liner notes from Duncan Druce add to the high standard
of the issue. A firm recommendation.
Michael
Cookson
BUY NOW
Belcea Quartet
(Corina Belcea-Fisher, violin; Laura Samuel, violin; Krzysztof
Chorzelski, viola; Alasdair Tait, cello) 
