Mozart: The Prussian Quartets

Recommended

Interpretation *****      Sound Quality *****    Repertoire Value *****      Booklet ****

“…The merciless rigor with which the music shines here, as well as the way the virtuoso passages are mastered here without stuttering, is brilliant. All in all a very nice Mozart record!”

“… these beautifully proportioned readings are well worthy of your time.”

Choc du Classica

Performance *****      Recording ****

“… The group’s collective tone is rounded and unexaggeratedly warm, with a gentle degree of vibrato emerging and flowering as each expressive moment requires. And the beautifully balanced interaction of all four players connects with how the music itself was written…”

The Strad Recommends

“One of today’s greatest quartets shines a light on late Mozart.”

Performance *****      Sonics (Multichannel) *****

“…Cultivating spaciousness, and engaging with the sound of the instrument rather than imposing preconceived ideas of how a piece should sound, informs the Chiaroscuro’s performances of the Mozart quartets. As the works were composed for Friedrich Wilhelm II, a talented amateur cellist, the quartets afford cellist Claire Thirion ample room to play cantabile in richly languorous passages. Tempi are carefully considered, never rushed, which allows the space between notes to breathe…”

Performance ****½      Sonics (Multichannel) ****

***** 

“… The vibrato shortage among the players may make some listeners feel the music has been stripped of its clothes, leaving the sounds naked. But musical nudity doesn’t disturb me when the artistic results of the Chiaroscuro approach are so plentiful and enlivening, such as the absolute clarity, rhythmic vitality, high drama, lithe lyricism and wit…” *****

Pizzicato Supersonic

“…Together with the technically sophisticated recording and the good booklet, we have an all-around successful product in our hands.”