Complete Mozart Edition - Vol. 13: Mozart: String Trios and Duos

Label: Philips Number of Discs: 2
Running Time: 2:13:40 Mastering Type: 
Catalog Number: 4225132 Release Date: 4/9/1991
Status: Available (U.S. Release Date)
Media: CD
Series: Complete Mozart Edition
Category: Chamber Music - Trio

 Artists
Eva Czako (Violin)
Arthur Grumiaux (Violin)
Georges Janzer (Viola)
Malcolm Latchem (Violin)
Stephen Orton (Violin)
Arrigo Pelliccia (Viola)
Kenneth Sillito (Violin)

 Ensembles
The Academy of St. Martin in the Fields' Chamber Ensemble
The Grumiaux Trio

 Composer
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

 Track Listing

 Disc 1
Track 1 Allegro
From Divertimento in E flat KV563
Running Time     8:28
Artists Eva Czako (Violin), Arthur Grumiaux (Violin), Georges Janzer (Viola)
Ensemble The Grumiaux Trio
Track 2 Adagio
From Divertimento in E flat KV563
Running Time     8:14
Artists Eva Czako (Violin), Arthur Grumiaux (Violin), Georges Janzer (Viola)
Ensemble The Grumiaux Trio
Track 3 Menuetto (Allegretto) - Trio
From Divertimento in E flat KV563
Running Time     5:49
Artists Eva Czako (Violin), Arthur Grumiaux (Violin), Georges Janzer (Viola)
Ensemble The Grumiaux Trio
Track 4 Andante
From Divertimento in E flat KV563
Running Time     7:30
Artists Eva Czako (Violin), Arthur Grumiaux (Violin), Georges Janzer (Viola)
Ensemble The Grumiaux Trio
Track 5 Menuetto (Allegretto) - Trio I- II
From Divertimento in E flat KV563
Running Time     5:13
Artists Eva Czako (Violin), Arthur Grumiaux (Violin), Georges Janzer (Viola)
Ensemble The Grumiaux Trio
Track 6 Allegro
From Divertimento in E flat KV563
Running Time     5:56  
Artists Eva Czako (Violin), Arthur Grumiaux (Violin), Georges Janzer (Viola)
Ensemble The Grumiaux Trio
Track 7 Allegro
From Duo for Violin and Viola in G KV423
Running Time     6:06  
Artists Arthur Grumiaux (Violin), Arrigo Pelliccia (Viola)
Track 8 Adagio
From Duo for Violin and Viola in G KV423
Running Time     3:31  
Artists Arthur Grumiaux (Violin), Arrigo Pelliccia (Viola)
Track 9 Rondeau (Allegro)
From Duo for Violin and Viola in G KV423
Running Time     5:01  
Artists Arthur Grumiaux (Violin), Arrigo Pelliccia (Viola)
Track 10 Adagio - Allegro
From Duo for Violin and Viola in B flat KV424
Running Time     7:58  
Artists Arthur Grumiaux (Violin), Arrigo Pelliccia (Viola)
Track 11 Andante cantabile
From Duo for Violin and Viola in B flat KV424
Running Time     3:04  
Artists Arthur Grumiaux (Violin), Arrigo Pelliccia (Viola)
Track 12 Tema con variazioni (Andante grazioso - Allegretto - Allegro)
From Duo for Violin and Viola in B flat KV424
Running Time     8:36  
Artists Arthur Grumiaux (Violin), Arrigo Pelliccia (Viola)
 Disc 2
Track 1 Adagio
From Sonata Trio in B flat KV266
Running Time     6:06
Artists Malcolm Latchem (Violin), Stephen Orton (Violin), Kenneth Sillito (Violin)
Ensemble The Academy of St. Martin in the Fields' Chamber Ensemble
Track 2 Menuetto (Allegretto)
From Sonata Trio in B flat KV266
Running Time     3:19
Artists Malcolm Latchem (Violin), Stephen Orton (Violin), Kenneth Sillito (Violin)
Ensemble The Academy of St. Martin in the Fields' Chamber Ensemble
Track 3 No. 1 in D minor: Adagio
From 6 Preludes and Fugues KV404a
Running Time     4:01
Ensemble The Grumiaux Trio
Track 3 No. 1 in D minor: Adagio
From 6 Preludes and Fugues KV404a
Running Time     4:01
Artists Eva Czako (Violin), Arthur Grumiaux (Violin), Georges Janzer (Viola)
Ensemble The Grumiaux Trio
Track 4 No. 1 in D minor: Fuga
From 6 Preludes and Fugues KV404a
Running Time     3:50
Artists Eva Czako (Violin), Arthur Grumiaux (Violin), Georges Janzer (Viola)
Ensemble The Grumiaux Trio
Track 5 No. 2 in G minor: Adagio
From 6 Preludes and Fugues KV404a
Running Time     3:18
Artists Eva Czako (Violin), Arthur Grumiaux (Violin), Georges Janzer (Viola)
Ensemble The Grumiaux Trio
Track 6 No. 2 in G minor: Fuga
From 6 Preludes and Fugues KV404a
Running Time     2:55  
Artists Eva Czako (Violin), Arthur Grumiaux (Violin), Georges Janzer (Viola)
Ensemble The Grumiaux Trio
Track 7 No. 3 in F: Adagio
From 6 Preludes and Fugues KV404a
Running Time     3:15  
Artists Eva Czako (Violin), Arthur Grumiaux (Violin), Georges Janzer (Viola)
Ensemble The Grumiaux Trio
Track 8 No. 3 in F: Fuga
From 6 Preludes and Fugues KV404a
Running Time     3:04  
Artists Eva Czako (Violin), Arthur Grumiaux (Violin), Georges Janzer (Viola)
Ensemble The Grumiaux Trio
Track 9 No. 4 in F: Adagio
From 6 Preludes and Fugues KV404a
Running Time     3:26  
Artists Eva Czako (Violin), Arthur Grumiaux (Violin), Georges Janzer (Viola)
Ensemble The Grumiaux Trio
Track 10 No. 4 in F: Fuga
From 6 Preludes and Fugues KV404a
Running Time     6:27  
Artists Eva Czako (Violin), Arthur Grumiaux (Violin), Georges Janzer (Viola)
Ensemble The Grumiaux Trio
Track 11 No. 5 in E flat: Largo
From 6 Preludes and Fugues KV404a
Running Time     3:47  
Artists Eva Czako (Violin), Arthur Grumiaux (Violin), Georges Janzer (Viola)
Ensemble The Grumiaux Trio
Track 12 No. 5 in E flat: Fuga
From 6 Preludes and Fugues KV404a
Running Time     4:48  
Artists Eva Czako (Violin), Arthur Grumiaux (Violin), Georges Janzer (Viola)
Ensemble The Grumiaux Trio
Track 13 No. 6 in F minor: Adagio
From 6 Preludes and Fugues KV404a
Running Time     4:53  
Artists Eva Czako (Violin), Arthur Grumiaux (Violin), Georges Janzer (Viola)
Ensemble The Grumiaux Trio
Track 14 No. 6 in F minor: Fuga
From 6 Preludes and Fugues KV404a
Running Time     3:35  
Artists Eva Czako (Violin), Arthur Grumiaux (Violin), Georges Janzer (Viola)
Ensemble The Grumiaux Trio

Gramophone Review
November 1987
Mozart Divertimento. Preludes and Fugues (after Bach).

Mozart Divertimento in E flat for string trio, K563. (From SAL3664 (8/68)). Six [Prelude] Preludes and [Fugue] Fugues, K404a (after Bach)—No. 1 in D minor; No. 2 in G minor; No. 3 in F major. (6500605 (5/75)).
Grumiaux Trio (Arthur Grumiaux (vn) Georges Janzer (va) Eva Czako (vc)).

Philips (Full price) (CD) 416 485-2PH (62 minutes).

Arthur Grumiaux is no more and it is good to have on CD another document of his excellence as a chamber music player. His colleagues in his string trio were also members of the ensemble with which he recorded the Mozart string quintets, now available on a set of three CDs (Philips CD 416 486-2PH3, 7/86). Recorded in 1967, the performance of the great six-movement Divertimento has been widely admired for nearly two decades. But when Roger Fiske first reviewed it it had a formidable competitor in the DG version by the Italian String Trio (now deleted), who were regular visitors to Britain in those days. It was through their performances that I first became well acquainted with the special qualities of the string trio repertory, comprising as it does a mere handful of works, and I don't think the Italians' playing of it was ever surpassed. The arrival of CDs of their Mozart and Beethoven and an opportunity to test that judgement would be welcome. They made a going concern of playing string trios, most unusually, and became a homogeneous group of the finest quality, comparable to the best quartets. It would be unfair to describe Grumiaux's trio as top-heavy—the violist, in particular, is a splendid match for him—but the balance of sound on this recording does tend to make it appear that way. The cellist, fine player as she is, has a less developed solo personality than her partners and she is presented as if the cello's role in the voice-leading were less important than the violin's or viola's.

But I split hairs. As people say these days, as a listening experience this is pretty glorious, and a response to the challenge and delights of one of Mozart's greatest works which is not seriously to be faulted. In the second-movement Adagio, Grumiaux's expressiveness (which may at times sound a mite old-fashioned to some) held me spellbound; top-heavy or no, you can't help registering his presence here as a master-violinist. How good he was in Mozart—if not, perhaps, at his very best in the finale of this six-movement feast, where there's a touch of the knowing fiddler about him and the performance just misses the music's lightness of spirit.

The three Preludes and Fugues were recorded in 1973. They come from the set of six which are transcriptions by Mozart of fugues from Bach's 48 prefaced by preludes of his own. There is a beefiness about the playing of the first two fugues and much full, unrelieved tone before we get to the third piece. An interesting makeweight none the less. It is, of course, the other two-thirds of the record which compel the greather attention.

SP