Mozart - Famous String Quartets / Gewandhaus Quartet

Mozart - Famous String Quartets / Gewandhaus Quartet Review

Recorded for the recent "24hours Mozart" broadcast celebration of his 250th birthday, this excellent DVD presents 3 major Mozart string quartets along with the ever popular Eine Kleine Nachtmusik. Watching this EuroArts DVD reminded me that there are great stylistic differences inevitably imposed by geography on the performance of Classical and Romantic era music. Listening to the Emerson Quartet play two of these quartets, for example, one hears forceful, analytic Mozart. Not inauthentic, just different: Mozart for the New World, perhaps. Listening to the Hagen Quartet play another one of these quartets, on the other hand, one hears a more ambiguous, lyrical Mozart with darker hues in the strings. The Gewandhaus-Quartett are in the latter category. Their Mozart is lyrical, laid-back, somewhat blithe, emotionally ambiguous with darkness at the edges. This seems to be a Mittel Europa style, perhaps a true Mozartean style born of two centuries of experience with this glorious music.

These performances were filmed 11-13 May 2005 in the beautiful Baroque castle of Rammenau in Saxony. The Gewandhaus-Quartett are certainly poised to provide a "true" Mozartean performance style. Amazingly, they are the longest continually active string quartet in existence. There has been a Gewandhaus-Quartett in Leipzig since 1809, and since the 1838-39 season it has been an official adjunct of the famous Gewandhaus Orchestra. The present line-up hasn't been together quite that long. Rather, they have been performing together since 1993.

The program begins with one of the two "Haydn Quartets" that are presented on this disc: the string quartet no.19 in C Major K.465 "Dissonance". This is followed by the string quartet no.21 in D Major K.575, the first "Prussian" quartet, composed for the cello playing King Friedrich Wilhelm II of Prussia, who had commissioned six quartets following his introduction to Mozart in April 1789 by Prince Karl von Lichnowsky. Next on the program is the Serenade in G Major K.525, "Eine Kleine Nachtmusik". Finally, first of the "Haydn Quartets", string quartet no.14 in G Major K.387 "Spring". It is a well chosen program of Mozart's finest quartets. I've watched this disc many times and I never tire of this sublime musique du chambre. The Gewandhaus-Quartett seem to hit all the right buttons, emphasizing the lyricism as well as emotional ambiguity and drama that is the hallmark of Mozart's finest mature work. If you have any interest in Mozart's string quartets, or if you desire a good introduction to the glorious music that awaits you, this disc is a fine place to start.

The picture format of this DVD is NTSC with a region code of 0 worldwide. The film is shot in 16/9 anamorphic widescreen and looks beautiful. The sound formats available are PCM stereo, Dolby Digital 5.1 and DTS 5.1 Digital Surround. The DTS 5.1 sounds crystalline with rich presence and superb spatial localization of the strings. The Dolby 5.1, slightly less focused is nonetheless equally present and clear. PCM stereo is also excellent, though obviously less spatially deep. There are the usual menus. Extras include a short photo documentary about the recording: Behind the Scenes. Running time of this disc is 102 minutes.

This is an excellent DVD of some of the finest string quartets ever composed. I enjoy this disc immensely. Very strongly recommended for everyone, especially for lovers of Mozart and chamber music.

Mike Birman

Mozart - Famous String Quartets / Gewandhaus Quartet Overview

W A MOZART:FAMOUS STRING QTS - DVD Movie

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Mozart - Great Mass in C Minor/ Ave Verum Corpus/ Exsultate Jubilate

Mozart - Great Mass in C Minor/ Ave Verum Corpus/ Exsultate Jubilate Review

The Great C-minor Mass has always been my favorite among Mozart's larger sacred works. Its genesis as a thanksgiving to God for Constanza's hand in marriage makes it brim with tremendous joy. It is the most viscerally joyful and exhilarating among all his sacred works. The thundering "Credo in unum deum" called out by full chorus stuns the listener with its emphatic declaration of faith. The repeated Hosannas in the Sanctus resound with such exuberance that Mozart's joy is palpable to even the most jaded in the audience. Together with the sublime motet, "Ave Verum Corpus," and the exultant "Exsultate Jubilate," it makes a lovely triptych of Mozart's most moving sacred pieces.

Leonard Bernstein's performance is typical of his late period. Tempi are very broad, as if he were savouring every single note, lovingly caressing each as if for the last time. Viewers will invariably look at this in relation to his impending death. My preference is towards period performances with their generally lighter and swifter styles but this is very beautiful nonetheless. Arleen Auger is delightful in the Exsultate Jubilate. Together with Frederica von Stade, Frank Lopardo, Cornelius Hauptmann and the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra and Chorus, they deliver a splendid old-style performance of the Great Mass. This is a live recording, made in the Baroque Basilica in Waldsassen, Bavaria, in the Catholic south of Germany. It is obviously meant as a sacred occasion, with the audience, more like a congregation, reverentially silent. There is no applause, not even at the end. The Mass concludes in silence, broken only by the distant tolling of church bells. It is as much a spiritual as an artistic experience.

This is a fine DVD transfer of a film made in 1990. It is presented in its original 1.33:1 aspect ratio. Picture is clean, clear and sharp with strong accurate colours and deep blacks. Sound is in 2.0 PCM Stereo and DTS 5.1 and is sumptuously full. The original latin texts are available as optional subtitles, as are translations into 5 other languages including English. There is an interesting 7-minute introduction by Bernstein in German with optional English subtitles. He doesn't dwell so much on the music as on the socio-political state of Europe at the time, noting how after centuries of war, Europe was at last at peace and free (this was just after the fall of the Berlin Wall and the dismantling of communism across Eastern Europe). A moving reflection and a sad one considering the state we are now in today. My copy came without a booklet or any liner notes. I'm not sure if this was a mistake on the part of the manufacturer but the lack of even basic liner notes is disgraceful for a full priced classical music DVD.

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