Mozart - String Quartets

[George]

Somehow, we don't have a thread for these works.

Tell me, what is your favorite set of the Mozart String Quartets?

I have Eder on Naxos, but I wonder how much better the Quartetto Italiano is in this music. (I love their Beethoven.)

[Ken B]

Somehow, we don't have a thread for these works.

Tell me, what is your favorite set of the Mozart String Quartets?

I have Eder on Naxos, but I wonder how much better the Quartetto Italiano is in this music. (I love their Beethoven.)

There's a great set of the Guarneri Quartet on Sony pretty cheap. I prfer HIP recordings these days, but you cannot go wrong with them or the Italian Quartet.

[amw]

Hagen Quartett on DG is pretty good, apart from the cover art. I will recommend.

For individual recordings, also recommend the Hagen Quartett on Myrios, Mosaïques, and probably most significantly Chiaroscuro.

[Moonfish]

I always had a crush for this set, but I suspect that it is an acquired taste....    0:)

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[Ken B]

I always had a crush for this set, but I suspect that it is an acquired taste....    0:)

[asin] B0000037B7[/asin]

I like that set too.

[Dancing Divertimentian]

I had a disc of the Italianos for at least a decade but never got along with it. Too 'gummy' without enough tension.

Have weeded out others over the years and now I'm happy with the Mosaïques, the Hagen, and the Emerson.

[Mandryka]

I think you will like the Italian quartet George. But surely you can find what they do easily enough to check it out for yourself?

These are the ones which stand out for me

The Ebene CD
The Janacek Quartet in K387
The Juilliard's 1957 K 465 on Testment, and their early recording of 499 and 575 (I put my transfer on symphonyshare)
The Netherlands Quartet Mozart CD on spotify, especially K499.
the Budapest Quartet's first recording of the Hoffmeister
The Petersen Quartet
Alban Berg Quartet, the first recording.
The recordings by the Chiaroscuro quartet.
The Kuijken Quartet.
Some of the Smetana quartet's, but I'd have to check to see which ones.

I never listen to the earlier ones.

[The new erato]

The Leipzigs on MDG are great, and seldom mentioned.

[amw]

The Petersen Quartet

The Leipzigs on MDG are great, and seldom mentioned.

I am also a fan of these two (predictably)

[aligreto]

I would also add my recommendations for the Quartetto Italiano and the Quatuor Mosaïques.
I would also like to add the Chilingarian Quartet into the mix....

[George]

I had a disc of the Italianos for at least a decade but never got along with it. Too 'gummy' without enough tension.

Yes, I compared 6 quartets from the Italianos and the Eder (on Naxos) and the Eder won for me every time. The Italiano's are beautiful but they seem too heavy or slow.

[Karl Henning]

I have only one complete set, by the Amadeus Quartet. I find them very good, though not surpassing good.

The Alban Berg Quartett in "the ten celebrated quartets" is excellent.  As are the Leipzigers in the Prussian Quartets.  And, of course, the Mosaïques in the Haydn q's.

[George]

The Alban Berg Quartett in "the ten celebrated quartets" is excellent.

I was just going to ask about these. THANKS!

[Mandryka]

I am also a fan of these two (predictably)

What did you make of the Leipzig Haydn op 50? I'm wondering whether to buy it.

[Purusha]

Alban Berg on Teldec for me.

[amw]

What did you make of the Leipzig Haydn op 50? I'm wondering whether to buy it.

First volume is excellent. The Leipzigers are incredibly "slick" which won't be to everyone's taste, I'd describe their interpretations as aristocratic, poised and melancholy, but without precluding the possibility of high energy, humour, or a general controlled loss of (emotional) control. For instance their Op. 50/1/i is sweet, expressive and longing, almost Mozartian, as compared to e.g. the Nomos which brings significantly more energy and a more down-to-earth character. One thing that also appeals is that they have possibly the most beautiful sound of any string quartet I've heard, especially when they play without vibrato.

Haven't heard the second but want it

[PerfectWagnerite]

I highly recommend this set:

with the Julliard SQ in total command of these works. Precise, aristocratic, at times beautiful and at times dissonant, probably as good as modern instrument performances go.

Not a big fan of HIP on these works but I rather like this set in its CD incarnation:

[Gurn Blanston]

I highly recommend this set:

with the Julliard SQ in total command of these works. Precise, aristocratic, at times beautiful and at times dissonant, probably as good as modern instrument performances go.

Not a big fan of HIP on these works but I rather like this set in its CD incarnation:

That's funny, that box as one of the first items I ever rec'd here at GMG, and I got my head hammered to the floor for it! I thought then, as I still do now, that it is a very fine MI performance, not overly Romantic in its presentation, just superbly controlled.

The Smithson set is indeed very fine. I have 3 PI's; the Smithson (in that nice Virgin 5-box of chamber music), the Mosaiques, and a very nice effort by the Kuijkens. Any which you can get I feel are satisfactory.

[Jo498]

For the early ones Hagen although I admittedly only have one or two of the early quartets in a different recording, these are not essential pieces although #7-13 or so are quite good. The mature ones are also very good with the Hagen Q and the yellow/brown box is probably the easiest way to get them anyway, but they were recorded much later and would probably considered "mannered" by some listeners (and they became even more mannered with the more recent recording of K 428). The recordings of the mature quartets closest in style to the straightforward and rather lean (but still tonally beautiful) playing of the early Hagen is probably Petersen (9/10, the K 499) is missing.
I also like the Teldec ABQ.

Of non-complete (i.e. not even the last 10) recordings my favorites are the Smetana (6 dedicated to Haydn on Denon from Japan, maybe also on Supraphon, there are earlier recordings of 3 or so on Testament) and the Vienna Musikverein (Küchl) Quartet (Decca). The latter recorded 6 quartets (and a few again 20 years later) but I only have one disc that used to be on a Decca midprice series. I think all of them are available in Japan and a few (but not all) have also recently appeared on Australian eloquence.

I am almost drawing a blank with HIP readings. I have only 2 pieces with the Mosaiques (which are good but not overwhelmingly great). They recorded a bunch (also the Festetics) but they are mostly oop and too expensive for me.

[Karl Henning]

That's funny, that box as one of the first items I ever rec'd here at GMG, and I got my head hammered to the floor for it! I thought then, as I still do now, that it is a very fine MI performance, not overly Romantic in its presentation, just superbly controlled.

Thank you for reminding me . . . in fact, I have the reissue of this (plus the viola, & clarinet, quintets):

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Completely agree, that there is no fault in these!