Mozart--Pleyel--Naxos

[dennis]

In a letter to his father on April 24, 1784, Wolfgang wrote:

"I must tell you that some quartets have just appeared, composed by a certain Pleyel, a pupil of Joseph Haydn. If you do not know them, do try and get hold of them; you will find them worth the trouble. They are very well written and most pleasing to listen to. You will also see at once who was his master. Well, it will be a lucky day for music if later on Pleyel should be able to replace Haydn".

The commentary to this letter in Mozart. Briefe und Aufzeichnungen states this reference is probably to Pleyel's String Quartets Op.1, which appeared by Rudolph Gräffer in Vienna in 1784. According to the Pleyel thematic catalogue the Op.1 set was written between 1782-83. The Op.2 Quartets were written in 1784.

So even if these are not the same Quartets Mozart wrote of on April 24, 1784, we still have a wonderful endorsement and I can't think of a better reason to buy this upcoming release from Naxos, which I found at the mdt web site (www.mdt.co.uk)

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IGNAZ PLEYEL (1757-1831)

String Quartet in A major, Op. 2 No. 1

String Quartet in C major, Op. 2 No. 2

String Quartet in G minor, Op. 2 No. 3

Naxos 8557496

Ensō Quartet: Maureen Nelson (Violin), Tereza Stanislav (Violin), Robert Brophy (Viola), Richard Belcher (Cello)

When Mozart encountered a newly-published set of Pleyel’s string quartets in 1784 he commended them enthusiastically to his father, writing: ‘You will find them worth the trouble. They are very well written and most pleasing to listen to.’

Pleyel’s String Quartets are remarkable works, rich in melodic invention and unfailingly ingenious in their technical resourcefulness. Mozart declared them ‘very well written and most pleasing to listen to.’

In the spring of 2003, the Enso Quartet was a winner of the 2003 Concert Artists Guild International Competition, and they also earned top prizes at the Chamber Music Yellow Springs (OH) Competition and the Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition. Formed in 1999, they are one of the leading Young American Quartets and feature here in their first Naxos release.

Dennis Pajot