The Alexander String Quartet is thrilled to announce the continuation of a series of Mozart’s chamber music with Apotheosis, Vol. 3: Mozart – The String Quintets and ASQ’s founding violist Paul Yarbrough. This installment follows the 2018 and 2019 releases of the late string quartets and piano quartets (with Joyce Yang). Both recordings received critical acclaim (“These are by far, hands down and feet up, the most amazing performances of Mozart’s two piano quartets that have ever graced these ears.” –Fanfare).
Mozart composed his first string quintet at age 17 and his last in the year of his death, so it might seem that he wrote string quintets across the span of his career, but that is not the case. His first quintet was a foray into new territory for the young composer, and then Mozart set the form aside for fourteen years — his final five quintets were all created in the last four years of his life. As such, they represent some of his most sophisticated musical thinking. They offer wonderful music, exhilarating to hear (and to play!), sometimes very moving, and always very beautiful. In his quintets, Mozart did not set out to make the viola the star, but the addition of the extra viola offered him a broader canvas and unlocked new possibilities. His quintets generate a richer, fuller sound….and they offer increased opportunities to contrast different groupings of instruments and sonorities….(two of these quintets are among his longest chamber works, longer in fact than any of his symphonies).
Mozart Apotheosis, Volumes One and Two
