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| Philips (Full price) (CD) 416 486-2PH3 (three discs, nas). From 6747 107 (1/76). Booklet included. |
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Ten years ago these discs of Mozart's six string quintets seemed at least as desirable as any, and they can still give a great deal of pleasure, as I can testify. And what music it is! The early B flat may not be up to the rest but who would be without the irresistibly waggish finale (a movement Mozart much improved with later rewriting). As always, Grumiaux's tone is very sweet, almost romantic, and very different from the tone of the other players. One is especially aware of this difference in the slow movement of the C major which Mozart laid out for solo violin and viola like an operatic duet for soprano and tenor. Those without a score may welcome the ease with which you can tell which instrument is playing, and of course one expects violin and viola tone to differ. But for may taste the viola's comparative roughness does provide a bit too much contrast with Grumiaux's smoothness. The finale of this C major shows how well Grumiaux can coax precision and brilliance from his colleagues, and he satisfies me at least that this quintet has a much more enjoyable finale than the better known G minor. Also the G minor's finale is taken too fast to make its full impact. The slow introduction to the first movement of the D major is unsually impressive. (But what happens in bar 9 of the return of this larghetto at the end of the movement? The cello's low C seems to persist right through the bar, and this cannot be the player's fault.) I'd have welcomed more dynamic contrast in the E flat Quintet and elsewhere, and cleaner inner parts on occasions, but for my part I listened to all these quintets with a glow of happy satisfaction.
RF