MOZART: COMPLETE STRING QUARTETS – TALICH QUARTET (7 CDS) La Dolce Volta

Any discussion of the “art of the string quartet” in relation to Mozart invariably turns dithyrambic. It means running over history a little too quickly and, with due respect to Milos Forman’s Amadeus, seeing genius as an abstraction.

The “divine Mozart”, who so enchanted with his supposed lightness of touch, in his 23rd and last quartet, completed in June 1790, turned to the crucial questions every artist asks of their true place in society.

MILANESE QUARTETS (KV155 – 160)
STRING QUARTET NO. 2 IN D MAJOR, K. 155
Allegro 3’38
Andante 4’10
Molto allegro 1’32
STRING QUARTET NO. 3 IN G MAJOR, K. 156
Presto 2’53
Adagio 6’11
Tempo di menuetto 5’50
STRING QUARTET NO. 4 IN C MAJOR, K. 157
Allegro 5’30
Andante 4’20
Presto 1’58
STRING QUARTET NO. 5 IN F MAJOR, K. 158
Allegro 3’25
Andante un poco allegretto 4’55
Tempo di menuetto 5’50
STRING QUARTET NO. 6 IN B-FLAT MAJOR, K. 159
Andante 5’16
Allegro 5’16
Rondo : allegro grazioso 2’43
STRING QUARTET NO. 7 IN E-FLAT MAJOR, K. 160
Allegro 3’14
Un poco adagio 4’30
Presto 2’55

VIENNESE QUARTETS (V168 – 172)
STRING QUARTET NO. 8 IN F MAJOR, K. 168
Allegro 4’38
Andante 4’37
Menuetto – Trio 2’41
Allegro 1’57
STRING QUARTET NO. 9 IN A MAJOR, K. 169
Molto allegro 3’46
Andante 5’53
Menuetto – Trio 3’00
Rondo – Allegro 1’46
STRING QUARTET NO. 10 IN C MAJOR, K. 170
Andante 4’14
Menuetto – Trio 2’51
Un poco adagio 5’04
Rondo – Allegro 2’23
String Quartet No. 11 in E-flat major, K. 171
Adagio – Allegro assai 5’02
Menuetto – Trio 2’51
Andante 5’04
Allegro assai 2’48
STRING QUARTET NO. 12 IN B-FLAT MAJOR, K. 172
Allegro spiritoso 4’20
Adagio 7’34
Menuetto – Trio 2’54
Allegro assai 4’07

VIENNESE QUARTETS (KV387 – 421)
STRING QUARTET NO. 13 IN D MINOR, K. 173
Allegro ma molto moderato 5’44
Andante grazioso 3’19
Menuetto – Trio 3’55
Allegro 3’21
STRING QUARTET NO. 14 IN G MAJOR, “SPRING”, K. 387
Allegro vivace assai 7’42
Menuetto : Allegro 8’13
Andante cantabile 6’46
Molto allegro 5’45
STRING QUARTET NO. 15 IN D MINOR, K. 421
Allegro moderato 7’20
Andante 6’42
Menuetto. Allegretto 3’45
Allegro ma non troppo. Più allegro 8’47

HAYDN QUARTETS (KV428 – LA CHASSE)
STRING QUARTET NO. 16 IN E-FLAT MAJOR, K. 428
Allegro non troppo 7’00
Andante con moto 7’29
Allegretto 5’50
Allegro vivace 5’25
STRING QUARTET NO. 17 IN B-FLAT MAJOR, “HUNT”, K. 458
Allegro vivace assai 8’30
Menuetto. Moderato 4’00
Adagio 7’12
Allegro assai 4’33

HAYDN QUARTETS (KV464 – DISSONANCE)
STRING QUARTET NO. 18 IN A MAJOR, K. 464
Allegro 6’31
Menuetto. Moderato 5’44
Andante 12’35
Allegro non troppo 5’25
STRING QUARTET NO. 19 IN C MAJOR,“DISSONANCE”, K. 465
Adagio – Allegro 10’43
Andante cantabile 6’53
Menuetto – Allegro 5’42
Allegro molto 5’53

QUARTET HOFFMEISTER, KV499 / PRUSSIAN QUARTETS N°1, KV575
STRING QUARTET NO. 20 IN D MAJOR,“HOFFMEISTER”
Allegretto 9’35
Menuetto : Allegretto – Trio 3’07
Adagio 7’56
Allegro 5’20
STRING QUARTET NO. 21 IN D MAJOR, K. 575
Allegretto 7’21
Andante 4’29
Menuetto : Allegretto 5’43
Allegretto 5’58

2 PRUSSIAN QUARTETS (KV589 – 590) / QUARTET LODI, KV80
STRING QUARTET NO. 22 IN B-FLAT MAJOR, K. 589
Allegro 6’15
Larghetto 6’55
Menuetto : Moderato 6’41
Allegro assai 4’01
STRING QUARTET NO. 23 IN F MAJOR, K. 590
Allegro moderato 9’02
Andante 8’02
Menuetto : Allegretto 4’10
Allegro 7’50
STRING QUARTET NO. 1 IN G MAJOR “LODI ”, K.80
Adagio 6’35
Allegro 3’32
Menuetto 2’43
Rondeau (Allegro) 2’54