Mozart ① String Quartet No. 14 in G major, K. 387, "Spring" ② String Quartet No. 15 in D minor, K. 421 Alban Berg Quartett Recorded: 1987 While there are other performances by quartets based on the Vienna Philharmonic, the Alban Berg Quartett is the representative one. This is due to the wonderful musicality of Günter Pichler, the former concertmaster of the Vienna Philharmonic, and the exceptional talent of the other members. They have two recordings, old and new, and this is the new one. The ensemble is superb, but it doesn't feel mechanical. Pichler's phrasing is full of the charm of Vienna, and the soft, supple sound contains a moderate sweetness, making you realize once again how good Viennese ensembles are. The new recording has a wider dynamic range and a greater richness of expression, resulting in a considerable sense of romanticism. It is a well-known story that Mozart, impressed by Haydn's string quartets, composed the six "Haydn Quartets." The six pieces, K. 387, 421, 428, 458, 464, and 465, were composed between 1782 and 1785. In other words, Mozart was about 26 to 29 years old, and his masterpieces in this field are gathered here. The famous ones are K. 458, "The Hunt," which has a nickname, and K. 465, "Dissonance," but Hidekazu Yoshida, a leading music critic, represented the Haydn Quartets with only these two pieces (No. 14 and No. 15) on this CD in his "300 Masterpieces." Regarding K. 421, a rare minor-key work by Mozart, you will immediately understand its appeal because of the indescribably lyrical main melody at the beginning. However, with K. 387, it's difficult to understand what's good about it at first. But if you listen repeatedly with this wonderful performance, you will gradually understand the goodness of this piece. Or, to be honest, after seriously listening to this K. 387, I think I have come to understand the value of this piece a little. It starts casually and ends with a magnificent fugue. It is one of Mozart's representative pieces. Japanese domestic edition [out of print], no obi, no scratches on the disc surface *Bulk purchase discounts available (please comment in advance) 150 yen off for each additional item 150 yen off all items for 10 or more items (Please refrain from discounts on single purchases)