The
Mozart: 1, 2, 3, 4
title of this 2025 release on the
Harmonia Mundi
label refers to the fact that the program contains one solo work, one duo, one trio, and the
Piano Quartet No. 1 in G minor, K. 478
. It is not clear that the concept has much to contribute; the works come from different phases of
Mozart
's career, and the
Piano Sonata in E flat major, K. 282
, although certainly for one instrument, isn't quite what one thinks of as solo music. Nevertheless, this doesn't matter much. The four players -- pianist
Julien Libeer
, violist
Máté Sz¿cs
, violinist
Pierre Colombet
, and cellist
Eckart Runge
-- are chamber music veterans, and it is a pleasure to hear them in music they obviously had a desire to play (
Libeer
says the logistics took three years). Hear
and
Colombet
in the
Violin Sonata in F major, K. 377
(here correctly titled the
Sonata for piano and violin in F major
), a key moment in musical history where the violin sonata genre broke free of the old model of a piano accompanied by an almost optional violin and became a new genre that continues to flourish today.
is excellent in catching the sheer
ian leaps of imagination that carried off the transformation. The group realizes the distinctive nature of each work; the
Piano Trio in B flat major, K. 502
, has the almost minimal economy of
's last years, and the players adjust effectively to this language. Everything on the album has smooth confidence in performances where all the playing is on modern instruments, and there are few traces of the historical performance movement. Those wanting an old-school
chamber music performance will find this just the ticket. ~ James Manheim