(++++) POISE AND PANACHE

Mozart: String Quintets Nos. 1-6 (complete). The Alexander String Quartet (Zakarias Grafilo and Frederick Lifsitz, violins; David Samuel, viola; Sandy Wilson, cello); Paul Yarbrough, viola. Foghorn Classics. $34.99 (3 CDs).

Haydn: Symphonies Nos. 96-98. Danish Chamber Orchestra conducted by Adam Fischer. Naxos. $13.99.

     It is not really enough to play the music of Mozart and Haydn accurately. More than two centuries after these composers’ lifetimes, performers are highly familiar with works of far greater apparent complexity in scoring, harmony and rhythm. And that can be a disadvantage, because it can lead to an unconscious feeling that there is something somehow “lesser” about the works of the Classical era – which is exactly the opposite of the truth. In reality, there is in Mozart and Haydn a purity of form and approach, and a level of understanding of the capabilities of instruments and players alike, that require tremendous sensitivity to nuance and detail: nothing is extraneous or misplaced, and nothing should sound formulaic even when the music is structured in rigid forms – that rigidity actually frees up the composers to produce levels of subtlety that in later years were either lost or created in more over-the-top ways. It is the awareness of subtleties of balance and of inter-instrumental communication that makes the performance of Mozart’s six quintets for strings by the Alexander String Quartet plus Paul Yarbrough so special. Less familiar than the 23 string quartets, these quintets not only have a richer sound because of the added viola but also explore some expressive regions in ways made possible by the increased heft of the ensemble. The first quintet (in B-flat, K. 174) was directly inspired by works by Haydn’s younger brother, Michael, and is actually scored for basso rather than cello, although it is inevitably played on cello nowadays. Written just after the Viennese quartets – which were inspired by the elder Haydn – the K. 174 quintet is pleasant, light and almost relentlessly upbeat in mood. It gets a suitably well-balanced but not inappropriately perky performance here. It is paired on this release’s first disc with the C major quintet, K. 515, usually labeled as No. 3 (although the sequencing of the quintets is a bit complicated). A fully mature quintet, K. 515 – which inspired Schubert to write his own C major quintet, but using two cellos rather than two violas – has an especially extended first movement: all the quintets are front-weighted, but this one especially so. These performers allow the movement its large scale without letting it overshadow the remaining movements, achieving a more-than-satisfactory balance for the work as a whole. The C major quintet and the one in G minor, K. 516, are in the same paired keys as Mozart’s penultimate and final symphonies – and have the same exceptional level of contrast. K. 516 opens the second disc in this set, and here the sensitivity of the performers really comes through. This is a very strange piece indeed, with a second-movement Menuetto that is thoroughly undanceable, uses ¾ time unusually, and exists on the border between pathos and tragedy. Indeed, the whole quintet has more depth, and more sorrow, than any of Mozart’s other works in this form – until the main portion of the finale, which shows up only after an Adagio section in G minor has further deepened the pervasive dark mood. Like the finale of Piano Concerto No. 20, the concluding Allegro of this quintet brings a bright, carefree sense of abandonment and joy to an otherwise distinctly heavy work. That makes the concluding movement very difficult to perform successfully – but the Alexander String Quartet and Paul Yarbrough do so, playing it with sufficient verve, zest and insouciance to bring a sense of balance to the entire piece without ever fully erasing the impact of the first three-plus movements.

     The G minor quintet, usually called No. 4, is paired in this three-CD Foghorn Classics release with the other minor-key quintet, K. 406 (516b) in C minor. Although generally designated as No. 2, the C minor quintet was actually written after K. 515 and K. 516 – which means the sequencing of this recording makes perfect sense. Despite the minor key, this is a far less emotional work than K. 516 – and in fact is an arrangement of one of Mozart’s earlier pieces, the Serenade No. 12 for Winds, K. 388/384a. Mozart essentially mapped the oboe and clarinet parts of the wind serenade to the violins and violas to produce this string quintet – and the arrangement works very well indeed. The performers make no attempt to force this work into depths it does not possess, but they highlight the quintet’s lovely lyrical sections very well and do a particularly fine job with the concluding theme-and-variations movement. The third CD in this recording includes the fifth and sixth quartets – No. 5 in D, K. 593, and No. 6 in E-flat, K. 614. Both are comparatively straightforward works that stay in major keys throughout, and both show the same sort of Olympian maturity that is in evidence in other late Mozart pieces, such as the final piano concertos: K. 614 is actually the composer’s last major chamber work. Performances of these late quintets are sometimes on the respectful side, lacking the ebullience given to the earlier ones, but not so here: there is no attempt to make the quintets magisterial or treat them as any sort of summation of Mozart’s works in this form – instead, each is played to highlight its own character, and both are offered in knowing, well-balanced and carefully thought-out readings. This is as good a Mozart quintet cycle as will be found anywhere, full of sensitivity and brimming with the enjoyment to be had in performing – and listening to – chamber music of the highest order.

     Just as Mozart’s subtleties are key to strong performances of his chamber music, so are Haydn’s when it comes to his chamber music – and his symphonies, which have managed to withstand all sorts of historically inaccurate orchestral gigantism and post-Romantic attempts to turn them into works quite different from those that Haydn actually wrote. Haydn’s innumerable contributions to the symphony are not always obvious from a 200-years-later vantage point, because they were so widely adopted by pretty much all later composers (as well as Haydn’s contemporaries) that they sound as if they have always existed. But in fact, characteristics such as the extensive use of woodwinds, the inclusion of dance movements and their later development beyond their ballroom origins, the balance among sections and within symphonies as a whole, the expectation of virtuosic playing by portions of the orchestra and at times by individual musicians – all these and more show Haydn’s innovative propensities. In recent years, some conductors have tried to bring back the sense of just how much Haydn changed symphonic form, in expressiveness and other ways. One such is Adam Fischer, who is now engaged in yet another of several multi-symphony recordings he has made, featuring Haydn played with historical awareness and an orchestra of suitable size – albeit using modern instruments. The second disc in this Naxos sequence, in which Fischer conducts the Danish Chamber Orchestra, features Symphonies Nos. 96-98, and is more effective and less quirky than the first (which included Nos. 93-95). In No. 96, the first movement is bright and bouncy, with strong piano/forte contrasts. The mid-movement fade is well done, and the strings are particularly good in their scurrying passages. The second movement has a nicely quizzical open, and the woodwind interjections are handled well, although the pacing varies a bit too much from section to section. The weaving of the violin line into the overall orchestral sound is well-handled. The third movement has a rather angular sound and is certainly not a danceable Menuetto. The emphatic timpani are a highlight, and there is a very nice lilt to the Trio. The fourth movement is quite fast (it is marked Vivace assai but not always played at that pace); yet there is very delicate string work, resulting in an impressive mixture of speed and effective dynamics. Again, the timpani emphases are intense and attractive, and the scalar passages are very well done – every note is clearly audible.

     The first movement of Symphony No. 97 features an emphatic opening chord, then a well-handled blend of instruments and a sudden strong drumbeat to introduce the Vivace. All is good humor and strong emphasis here, and the unexpected pauses – a Haydn characteristic adopted in one form or another by pretty much all later symphonists – enliven the presentation. The second movement’s gentle rocking motion is coupled with pleasant variations in orchestration, making for well-varied coloration. The surprising mid-movement outburst contrasts well with the generally gentle earlier material. There are wonderful contrasts of speed, orchestration, and feeling in the variations, with the delicacy of soft sections especially impressive. The third movement strides forth with a martial air, emphasized by timpani; contrasting soft passages are very effective. In the Trio, the use of woodwinds makes for apt contrast. The finale is ebullient, percolating along brightly like a perpetual-motion machine. There are little touches of humor throughout in rhythmic changes, unexpected instrumental entries, and clever blends of sound. The sudden pause and slowdown just before the end come as a great surprise. In Symphony No. 98, the first movement’s contrasts between louder and softer sections are particularly well done, and the brightness of the main theme is nicely accentuated. The timpani effectively underline the music’s emphatic portions, while brass interjections brighten the sound and mood. Quieter parts of the movement provide respite from strongly emphasized ones, and the timpani roll at the end is impressive. The second movement brings a strong contrast of mood as well as pacing. There is flowing lyricism throughout the first portion and intermittently thereafter. In this Adagio cantabile movement, Fischer makes sure the cantabile element comes through. The third movement is quite fast for a Menuetto, almost sounding as if it has two beats rather than three to the measure because of the timpani emphases. The Trio is slower, its pacing more appropriate, providing good contrast not only in speed but also in instrumentation. As a result, the return of the speedy Menuetto comes as a surprise even though it is structurally expected. The fourth movement has a wonderfully perky theme that is here played brightly and speedily, with slower passages used for accentuation to good effect. Outbursts from the full orchestra brighten the mood, while short solos make the movement's sound highly varied. Fischer pulls out all the stops at the conclusion, producing a more-dramatic ending than is usually heard in Haydn. Fischer is overtly committed to trying to give modern audiences a sense of just how exceptional Haydn’s effect was in the composer’s time, and while his approach sometimes overdoes matters of pacing and balance, at other times it effectively highlights just how special Haydn’s symphonies were when first heard – explaining both their huge popularity with audiences and the reasons they were so extremely influential among other composers.