The liner notes of this album, featuring Mozart's Quartet K. 464 and Quintet K. 593, make the case that this pairing is somewhat rebellious in that neither of these works is the most "fashionable" or popular of the canon of quartets or quintets. The point is an interesting one. If the K. 465 "Dissonant" Quartet had not been written, would we not now flock to its little sibling, K. 464, with the same amount of awe and wonderment? Both of the works heard here are magnificent compositions in their own right, and the listeners' appreciation for them grows significantly if they can listen to them without the need for comparison to other works.
Of course, detailed and objective listening of this nature is only possible if the performance is worthy of such attention. The
Brentano String Quartet, joined by violist Hsin-Yun Huang, offers a lively and fresh interpretation of K. 464 and 493. In the quartet and quintet alike, the inner voices are particularly articulate and clear. The ensemble's sound is robust and deep, a clearly modern sound that will nevertheless please even the Mozart "purists" out there. Novice listeners are well advised to use this album as their first introduction to these works and seasoned pros should give K. 464 and 593 fresh new ears with this very enjoyable recording.