# The Mozart Piano Quartet in G Minor, KV478



## Neward Thelman (Apr 6, 2017)

Seeking a recommendation for this masterpiece without robotic repeats. I'm currently enjoying the Beaux Trio Philips recording, but it sticks in my craw with all the repeats.

In the first movement, they take the exposition repeat. That's pretty much sacred these days, altho completely unnecessary in for most music. I can tolerate that.

But, in their burgeoning, pre-HIP fervor, here's what they do next.

After wading thru the exposition repeat [cause, you know, if you heard it once, you may's well hear it all over again], they play the development, flow thru to the recapitulation --- and then they come to double bars --- AND REPEAT THE WHOLE DEVELOPMENT AND RECAPITULATION again!

OMG! What????

So, what you get is bloated Bruckner treatment applied to Mozart, as follows:

exposition - exposition - development - recapitulation - development - recapitulation - coda.

None of this is a surprise to HIPs, who've accepted this as right and proper, true and pure Mozart long ago. But, I haven't consumed the Kool Aid, and I never will.

I feel --- FEEL --- this as a fundamental distortion of Mozart. But, enough ranting.

Would you recommend a G minor - without development and recapitulation repeats, and a still decent performance? I can grudgingly put up with an expo repeat, but not the rest.


----------

