Collectively, Mozart’s
flute quartets have a rather uncertain
history, the "a" and "b"
in the Köchel numbers giving the
game away. Only K285 itself can be dated
with certainty – it was finished on
Christmas Day 1777 in response to a
commission from a surgeon and dilettante
musician. K298 probably dates from nine
years later and should therefore have
a much higher K number. Does any of
that matter? Just put the disc on and
the answer has to be no for here is
Mozart at his most sparkling. There
is a little pathos but only in the adagio
of K285. Each quartet is quite different
but the prevailing mood is sunny, probably
reflecting the composer’s perspective
on the instrument. Mozart varied the
structure considerably - the D major
has three orthodox movements whereas
the A major opens with a theme and five
variations to be followed by a minuet
and rondo. The G and C major works are
in two movements with the former being
slighter and concluding with a minuet.
Within these frameworks they all have
in common a continuous stream of attractive
melodies.
Beethoven’s rarely
heard Serenade dates from a time when
his chamber music was quite experimental
with combinations of instruments. It
is in six movements with the second
being a minuet and the fourth a set
of variations. There is little darkness
here either and the work is a perfect
partner for the Mozart quartets.
This recording uses
period instruments, Lisa Beznosiuk’s
four-keyed ebony flute dating from the
time of Beethoven’s Serenade. There
is tonal beauty and refinement on offer,
and not only from the flautist. Ensemble
is always on the money and the very
clear recording strikes a beautiful
balance between the instruments. The
overall balance is just a shade close
but I would be struggling to make other
criticisms of this well-presented disc.
Comparisons with Andreas
Blau and the Amadeus Quartet in Mozart
recordings made on modern instruments
in 1978 are clearly favourable to the
present issue which benefits from a
more genial approach and notably more
relaxed tempi in the outer movements
of K285. In the other works Blau and
the Amadeus tended to be slower and
sound rather matter of fact.
Delectable – if you
want to forget the cares of the 21st
century for an hour or so, this may
be the answer.
Patrick C Waller
Lisa Beznosiuk (flute); Pavlo Beznosiuk (violin);
Tom Dunn (viola); Richard Tunnicliffe (‘cello)
