Search - Mozart, American String Quartet :: String Quartets

An extraordinary interpretation!

Sight Reader | Fort Collins, CO United States | 11/01/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This first of what eventually became a complete set of all Mozart quartets is one of the best. For the two very sensitive later quartets, the American String Quartet pulls off the nearly impossible task of filling the music with a touching and sincere passion, maintaining a fresh interpretation and without comprimising their crystalline perfection of color, pitch and ensemble. This is exceptionally difficult, as the level of repetition, fuss and perfection required to clean things up tends to destroy the fragile spontenaity and innocence of Mozart's writing.



That is not the only awesome balancing act negotiated in these two pieces. They somehow express this deep passion within the strict confines of steady tempo, avoiding the excessive romanticism that obliterates delicate voices and victimizes other modern ensembles. On the other hand, they also keep their egos in check: there is no pretentious period instrument styling (inappropriate for this sort of approach), and they keep the tempos respectful and joyfully elegant, avoiding the crass showmanship that plague groups that blaze away at utterly inappropriate speed.



The earlier quartet contained in this set is also sensitively done, although they do go a bit fast on the last movement. All in all, this is by far one of the best Mozart recordings made."