Composer: Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Performer: Armida Quartett
Format: FLAC (tracks)
Label: Avi Music
Catalogue: AVI8553444
Release: 2019
Size: 1.29 GB
Recovery: +3%
Scan: yes
String Quartet No. 1 in G major, K80
01. I. Adagio
02. II. Allegro
03. III. Menuetto
04. IV. Rondeau. Allegro
String Quartet No. 17 in B flat major, K458 ‘The Hunt’
05. I. Allegro vivace assai
06. II. Menuetto. Moderato
07. III. Adagio
08. IV. Allegro assai
String Quartet No. 20 in D major, K499 ‘Hoffmeister’
09. I. Allegretto
10. II. Menuetto. Allegretto
11. III. Adagio
12. IV. Molto Alegro
The Armida Quartet is holding an unusual kind of rehearsal, skimming through three Mozart string quartets with musicologist and Henle’s publishing director Wolf-Dieter Seiffert. The focus this time is not on sound quality, musical character, or developing an extended formal overview – all qualities for which the Armida Quartet is well-known – but on achieving a good match between philological accuracy and practical music-making. Seiffert is working on a new edition of the Mozart string quartets for his publishing house in Munich, and has sought out direct contact with the members of the Berlin string quartet to clarify doubts regarding dynamics, ties and tempi (see the interview with Mr. Seiffert in the booklet). When a case is truly difficult, the most technically feasible or desirable alternative helps him decide which variant will ultimately figure in the new Urtext edition.
The German Armida Quartett, winner of the ARD competition 2012, is scheduled to record all of Mozart’s string quartets as a cooperation with G. Henle Publisher’s. This second volume includes String Quartet No. 1 in G major, K. 80, No.17 in B flat major, K.458 and No.20 in D major, K.499.
The first volume received rave reviews, the NDR Broadcast station resumed: “extremely lively and full of energy, transparent in the sound picture, following all of Mozart’s intentions.”
The Armida Quartett counts as one of the most influential and prominent string teams in Europe and received a standing ovation during their first US Tour in April 2018. Founded in Berlin in 2006, the Armida Quartet took its name from an opera by Haydn, the “father of the string quartet”. They have studied with former members of the Artemis Quartet and Rainer Schmidt (Hagen Quartet), drawing further inspiration from Reinhard Goebel, Alfred Brendel, Marek Janowski, and Tabea Zimmermann.
The quartet has enjoyed great success at the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, the Philharmonie in Berlin, and Wigmore Hall in London. The ensemble’s debut CD in 2013, featuring works by Bla Bartk, Gyrgy Ligeti, and Gyrgy Kurtg, was selected by the German Record Critics’ Award for its critics’ choice list. Further recordingsensued, with works by Mozart, Beethoven, and Shostakovich, followed by the CD Fuga Magna in 2017, a fugue journey through the centuries. Working with chamber partners is an inspiration for the Armida Quartet: they have additionally worked with Thomas Hampson, Martin Frst, Tabea Zimmermann, Jrg Widmann, Julian Steckel, Sabine Meyer, and Daniel Mller-Schott. Apart from their concert activities, the quartet gives masterclasses in Germany and abroad, and they are active in social programs and youth projects including Rhapsody in School and Yehudi Menuhin Live Music Now.