Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: String Quartets No. 15, K. 421, No. 17, K. 458 "The Hunt" & No. 19, K. 465 "Dissonance" Prazak Quartet

• Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791): String Quartet No. 15 in D Minor, K. 421:
• 1 Mozart: String Quartet No. 15 in D Minor, K. 421: I. Allegro moderato 07:03
• 2 Mozart: String Quartet No. 15 in D Minor, K. 421: II. Andante 07:27
• 3 Mozart: String Quartet No. 15 in D Minor, K. 421: III. Menuetto - Allegretto 04:07
• 4 Mozart: String Quartet No. 15 in D Minor, K. 421: IV. Allegretto ma non troppo - Più allegro 08:49
• String Quartet No. 17 in B-Flat Major, K. 458 "The Hunt":
• 5 Mozart: String Quartet No. 17 in B-Flat Major, K. 458 "The Hunt": I. Allegro vivace assai 08:58
• 6 Mozart: String Quartet No. 17 in B-Flat Major, K. 458 "The Hunt": II. Menuetto. Moderato 04:12
• 7 Mozart: String Quartet No. 17 in B-Flat Major, K. 458 "The Hunt": III. Adagio 07:07
• 8 Mozart: String Quartet No. 17 in B-Flat Major, K. 458 "The Hunt": IV. Allegro assai 04:44
• String Quartet No. 19 in C Major, K. 465 "Dissonance":
• 9 Mozart: String Quartet No. 19 in C Major, K. 465 "Dissonance": I. Adagio - Allegro 10:19
• 10 Mozart: String Quartet No. 19 in C Major, K. 465 "Dissonance": II. Andante cantabile 06:29
• 11 Mozart: String Quartet No. 19 in C Major, K. 465 "Dissonance": III. Menuetto - Allegro 05:05
• 12 Mozart: String Quartet No. 19 in C Major, K. 465 "Dissonance": IV. Allegro molto 05:56
• Total Runtime 01:20:16

Info for Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: String Quartets No. 15, K. 421, No. 17, K. 458 "The Hunt" & No. 19, K. 465 "Dissonance"

The acclaimed Prazák Quartet performs three of the six "Haydn" Quartets, in which, like instrumental mini-operas, Mozart perfects the lyric continuity and differentiation between the parts. Here the most vehement emotion coexists with the rigor of an evolving form, as in K.421. In the “Hunt” Quartet, the composer turns to the gallant style, the better to send it up with a thoroughly Haydnesque wit and mastery of discourse. Only the “Dissonant” Quartet opens with a slow introduction - whose famous dissonances jolted its first listeners - that contrasts with the luminous style of what follows. A novelty here is the symphonic dimension of the closing movements that abandon the traditional rondo-finale and triumph with an insolent rakishness.

The most famous 22 bars in the history of music take about a minute and a half to sound, but they have remained an intriguing musical mystery for 222 years*. I refer to the opening of the Dissonanzen-kvartet (KV465). At the beginning of this final quartet in the set dedicated to Haydn, -- and just before settling into a jolly but forgetable ditty -- Mozart does something so outrageous that buyers returned their copies to the publisher as ‘defective’. But it isn’t a typo; Haydn praised them and said of the puzzling incipit “Well, if Mozart wrote it, he must have meant it.”. Like a terrified heartbeat, the cello pulses on the tonic note of C , then the viola enters on A flat, then second violin on E flat. This could build into a C minor, but it doesn’t. The viola ducks down to G just before first violin enters on high A natural – narrowly missing a fatal clash with the viola’s A flat. This repeats several times with the series descending from C to A flat to E flat.

Prazák Quartet

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The Pražák Quartet
one of today’s leading international chamber music ensembles - was established in 1972 while its members were students at the Prague Conservatory, and won major chamber music prizes early on, including first prize at the prestigious Evian String Quartet Competition, along with a special recording prize from Radio France. Since then, the quartet has gained attention for its place in the unique Czech quartet tradition, and for its musical virtuosity.

For more than 30 years, the Prazak Quartet has been at home on music stages worldwide. They are regular guests in the major European musical capitals such as Prague, Paris, Amsterdam, Brussels, Milan, Madrid, London, Berlin, and Munich, and have been invited to participate at numerous international festivals, where they have collaborated with such artists as Menahem Pressler, Jon Nakamatsu, Cynthia Phelps, Roberto Diaz, Josef Suk, and Sharon Kam.

The quartet has toured widely in North America, having performed in New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Dallas, Houston, Washington, Philadelphia, Toronto, Montreal and many others. The quartet returns to the US and Canada every other year.

The Prazak Quartet has recorded extensively for Praga/Harmonia Mundi which, to date, has released 50 award-winning CDs. In addition to numerous radio recordings in France, Germany, the Netherlands, and the Czech Republic, the Prazak Quartet has also made recordings for Supraphon, Panton, Orfeo, Ottavo, Bonton, and Nuova Era.

As of 2020, violinist Marie Fuxová and cellist Jonáš Krejčí joined the quartet. The new members bring their extensive string quartet and chamber music experience, having played with the Pavel Haas, Škampa, Petersen and Schulhoff quartets as well as in many chamber orchestras and ensembles. They bring their experience and energy into the group while remaining faithful to the Czech quartet tradition, character and quality which are the longtime hallmarks of the Pražák Quartet. A new CD with the last string quartets of Josef Haydn will be released on the Aparté/Praga label in August 2021.

Booklet for Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: String Quartets No. 15, K. 421, No. 17, K. 458 "The Hunt" & No. 19, K. 465 "Dissonance"