# Mozart - String Quartet 22 K589 (SQ review)



## Merl (Jul 28, 2016)

Here's a fine live performance from Wigmore Hall by the Armida Quartet..... 






Plenty of pleasant recordings to choose from here (Melos, Prazak, Chilingirian, Stradivari, Franz Schubert, Guarneri (1965), Vienna Philharmonic quartet. etc but 'pleasant' won't quite make the cut with over 50 recordings of this popular quartet so I'm just flagging up the best of the best, IMO.

Well recommended

_Armida_ - beautifully recorded account with fine tonal qualities (there's a deep, rich quality to their cross-sectional interplay) but sometimes I feel they're trying too hard and they rush a little in places.
_Netherlands_ - historic, clean 1956 recording with lovely detail in the final movement.
_America String Quartet_ - although I like the playing style of the ensemble and the internal dialogues the dryness of the recording (like the Talichs) makes this sound a little sparser and less heartening.
_ABQ (EMI/Warner 1990)_ - see ABQ Teldec comments (below)
_Amadeus (DG 1967) _- older style but fleeter and more refreshing than their other accounts.
_Dover_ - traditional, more blended sonorities than many of their rivals but its so well played its hard to find fault apart from asking for more character.
_Talich_ - fine version slightly hampered by very dry/close Calliope sound that impairs some of the bouyancy and joy, for me.
_Shanghai_ - nice and solid but with a warm, rhythmic flow.

*Slightly Better

Barylli* - notwithstanding the rather basic and bright recording there's a jollity about the Barylli playing I found intensely satisfying. My fave historic recording.
*Chiaroscuro* - beautiful recording and the limited vibrato is jarring at first but works very well here (much better than their 1st Prussian quartet).
*Festetics* - very different sounding than even the Mosaiques, particularly cello tone but, unlike much of their Haydn, I warned quickly to this one. Not the best but impressive
*Lotus* - highly spirited and joyful account. They may not be the most celebrated or technically flawless here but boy do they play like they're loving it. Very natural performance.
*Orlando* - oozes class. Want something right down the line then this is easy to recommend. Fine ensemble and articulation.
*Doric* - I really enjoy the quirkier and very nuanced way the Dorics add their own little spin to this. Lots of dynamic shading married with fine Chandos sound.
*Klenke* - highly lyrical and beautiful in the vein of the Hagens. Warm and chilled with highly responsive hair-pin dynamics.
*Italiano* - their customary elan and gorgeous sonorities but a bit more bite would have made this stellar (the first recording I ever bought, btw)
*ABQ (Teldec 1976) *- although broader than their later recording this is a better performance to my ears that catches the ABQs in a more realistic acoustic, even if the later one is easily recommendable but more acerbic too.
*Engegard* - fresh, lithe and agile, theres no drowning in vibrato here, just clean lines and a totally consuming larghetto.
*Jerusalem* - lightness with appropriate power and precision. Never rushed, always fleet and there's the same brevity and enjoyment evident in their early Beethoven.

*Wonderful

Leipziger* - effortless, stylish (some will say 'slick') and flowing in a nice acoustic. Some will love the Leipziger'a agile twists and turns even more. Technically flawless and very easy on the ear.
*Emerson* - technically highly adroit, beautifully balanced (check out that Allegro) and impressive, the Emersons don't rush the final two movements but play with singularity of purpose in first rate recorded sound. If only DG could have given them this soundstage consistently.
*Hagen* - playing on the the lighter, more lyrical, sunnier side, the Hagens are like a warm hug on a cold afternoon. Their melodies float naturally and sound divine. This is very high quality ensemble playing
*Petersen* - a brighter and highly dynamic reading of K589. The Petersens emphasise the dialogue between instruments especially well and (like the Alexanders) are well-versed on changing the feel of a particular movement suddenly a d seamlessly.

*Top Picks

Mosaiques* - for those wishing for a period performance par excellence this is it. Lots of superlatives have been used about these performances and, for once, I'm totally in agreement. The Mosaiques give Mozart time to breathe and the music unfolds beautifully. The last two movements are stunning.

*Alexander* - a more Beethovenesque, stormer performance with bolder chords and wider dynamics. The opening Allegro is punchy and bold but sounds like a proper conversation whilst the final movement is vivid, vital, stylish and truly exciting. This is on the sme level as their brilliant Beethoven op.18 recordings.


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