Amadeus Quartet / Cecil Aronowitz
Streichquintette.Kv 174, 406, 515, 516, 593, 614

The true treasures in the repertoire of the great Viennese classic Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart are doubtless the six string quintets. In these works, he created the greatest melodious fullness, the most extensive thematic interweaving. He used to add a string quintet to a group of string quartets, composing the last quintets separately. His first, early quintet KV 174 is in B major. It is conventional, is dominated by the two high strings. The second viola has not yet played a role, the cello is almost exclusively reduced to the role of the bass instrument. Nevertheless, it is especially the dense Adagio, which gives the late master a glimpse. The second string quintet in c minor KV 406 is an excellent piece full of passion and fire. Above all, the head-set lives a lot of hidden pain. The short, slow movement and the fugal minuet prove Mozart's variety. In the intoxicating finale, the German composer succeeds in transforming the initial bitterness into a radiant, redeeming end. The C Dur Quintett KV 515 is also full of inspiration and pointers. Many hold this work and his sister piece for Mozart's most successful quintet. The composer gives the minuet a special weight because it reaches the extent of the head. He is developing more and more the traditional dance set into an individual character. Thus also in K. 516, in G minor, in which the magnificent minuet is the only thoroughly friendly movement; Because the head and the adagio reveal depths that make the listener almost shudder.