BBC Radio 3 – Disc of the Week

My Disc of the Week, which I was delighted to see when it arrived this week because it’s a while since any ensemble has recorded all of Mozart’s string quintets, which contain some of his most beautiful and soul-searching chamber music. When you listen to the g-minor quintet, always a special key for Mozart, you could almost imagine you had stumbled on something by Schubert. Well they are played by the Klenke Quartet, teaming up with the mentor of theirs, it’s the extra viola player Harald Schoneweg from the Cherubini Quartet. It is so important that the players really understand one another in these Mozart quintets — and it´s clear that they do. They also understand Mozart, having recorded the complete quartets a few years ago. And it is fascinating hearing the way they play with a historically informed style, you get clean and clear sound, sparing vibrato, and phrasing that seems as though they’re using classical bows, even though they are not playing with them here as far as I can tell. Nothing extreme about choices the tempo, they play their Mozart pretty straight. But there is grace and poise. I'm going to play the whole of Mozarts D-major string quintet KV 593, four movements. Listen to the clarity they bring to Mozarts quite adventurous writing in the opening.

Mozart’s d-major string quintet number five, KV 593. The new recording from the Klenke Quartett and viola player Harald Schoneweg. Finding what feels to me almost a best of both worlds approach between the best of the period and modern instrumental ensembles, without overcompromising. Leader Annegret Klenke has some wonderful moments, especially in Mozart’s extraordinary g-minor quintet which I’d urge you to hear. The playing well balanced, rich, communicative; I found myself prefering it in more than a few places to the classic augmented Grumiaux trio recordings on Philips from which I learned these pieces and for many years a really strong recommendation. Preferable tempers from the Klenke Quartett in places. No laboured minuets or over-indulged slow movements, and the German radio studio recording is intimate and satisfying. Mozart’s six string quintets, three CDs from Accentus Music. It’s the record review Disc of the Week.

Andrew McGregor