Luogo e data di registrazione		Théâtre Vevey, Vevey (Svizzera) - 14 agosto / 1 settembre 1966
	Registrazione: live / studio		studio
	Producer / Engineer		Vittorio Negri
	Edizione LP		Philips | 6570 922 | 1 LP
	Prima Edizione CD		Vedi link alla prima edizione in long playing.
	Note		La collana "Musica da Camera" della Philips riedita negli anni '80 alcune registrazioni del Quartetto Italiano.

The six string quartets written between December 1782 and January 1785, which Mozart sent to Joseph Haydn with a splendid letter of dedication, represent the peak of his chamber music. The master, who usually composed without undue difficulty, acknowledged that they were "the fruit of long and painstaking work." The individualisation of the parts, which has matured here to the peak of perfection and made the writing of quartets the hallmark of composition at its highest level for the whole nineteenth century, did not come easily even so Mozart. Haydn's "Russian" Quartets from the year 1781 may have been the model and provided the stimulus, but Mozart goes his own way and does not copy his older friend. The thematic work, exploiting the finest relationships between motifs, in the means which serves the individualisation of the voices, but Mozart manipulates it in a highly personal way. In these quartets he strikes a balance between personal expression and formal discipline which was not surpassed even by Beethoven. The String Quartet in E flat, K. 428 was written presumably in June and July of 1783, and takes third place chronologically in the series of six. Unlike Haydn, who preferred to work monothematically, Mozart contrasts two themes in the first movement - a first subject played in unison and a second subject beginning with a turn, the start of which plays an important role in the canonic development section. Just how far Mozart is removed in expression from his model Haydn may be seen in the Andante con moto, an almost Romantic movement in 6/8 time, dominated by a varying three-note motif played first on the cello and pervaded by a type of chromaticism which almost seems to anticipate Wagner's "Tristan." In its emotional intensity and expressiverness the movement points far into the future. On the other hand, the minuet, beginning with a characteristic octave leap, is more reminiscent of Haydn. The contrast of the trio in C minor has a strange effect - a melancholy interspection which nevertheless faits to dampen the gaiety of the dance movement. The joy of music-making, typical of Haydn, comes through also in the sparkling finale, which disperses with any complicated development. According to Mozart's own thematic inventory, the String Quartet in B flat, K. 458 was completed on November 9, 1784. Its title "Hunt," which did not come from the main theme. Following Haydn's pattern, theexposition is based on one theme but, as though to compensate for this, the beginning of the development comes up with a surprisingly indulgent lyrical idea. The coda, beginning with a pedal point on the cello, is greatly extended and is so full of material that it acts as a second development section. The minuet - more a cantabile movement with a capricious trio - taken second place on this occasion. The high point of the work is the Adagio, which like the slow movement of K. 428, seems to introduce elements of Romanticism. It is a piece with flowing melodies, deeply charged with feeling and alternating between major and minor. Here, too, chromaticism plays a key role, this time in the form of a  chromatic suspension determining the second subject. The rondo finale uses as its main idea the melody of a folk-song which has already appeared in the Divertimento K. 252. A middle section, like a development, treats the beginning of the theme in a virtuoso maneer, in the style of Haydn. But the cheerful charm of the movement is set out differently from Haydn's direct, exultant humour. Even in such pieces, where the model can be seen, Mozart remains for ever unique. Alfred Beaujean

Illustration: Bernardo Bellotto (1720-1780) "Schloßhof bei Marchegg. Hofwiese" (Kunsthistorisches Museum, Wien)