Tuesday, January 15, 2013

The Barchet Quartet
"Mozart: String Quartets K. 80, 155, 156, 157" (Vinyl)

I can find little to nothing about the Barchet Quartet being published online today.  The only information published on the back of the LP jacket is that the Barchet was founded in the post-ww II years by the concertmaster of the Stuttgart Chamber Orchestra.  This recording was made by all four original members.
They were particularly known for their recordings of Mozart's chamber music, and I have to say, I think I can see why.
The opening "Adagio" of Mozart's G major K.80 quartet is played with such a beautiful simplicity that resonates through the limited recording capability.  It is refreshingly uncomplicated.

This is a sturdy Dover Press recording.  My understanding is in later years the Barchet's catalog was released extensively by Vox in multi-disc sets.  Today, you can still buy mp3 collections of the Barchet's entire Mozart cycle.

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