Album
Bennewitz Quartet
An Evening in Vienna 1784 / Haydn - Mozart - Dittersdorf - Vaňhal
Catalogue Number: SU 4345-2
Published: 20th September 2024
Genre: Chamber Music
Format: 1 CD
This album has received following awards:
- Album of the Week, NPO Klassiek (2024)
An Evening in Vienna 1784 / Haydn – Mozart – Dittersdorf – Vaňhal / Bennewitz Quartet
Joseph Haydn (1732–1809) – String Quartet in G major, Op. 33/5. Jan Křtitel Vaňhal (1739–1813) – String Quartet in A major, Op. 33/2. Karl Ditters von Dittersdorf (1739–1799) – String Quartet No. 5 in E flat major. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756–1791) – String Quartet No. 19 in C major, K 465 “Dissonance”.
Bennewitz Quartet: Jakub Fišer – 1st violin, Štěpán Ježek – 2nd violin, Jiří Pinkas – viola, Štěpán Doležal – cello
“…Storace gave a quartet party to his friends. The players were tolerable, not one of them excelled on the instrument he played; but there was a little science among them, which I dare say will be acknowledged when I name them: First violin Haydn, second violin Baron Dittersdorf, violoncello Vanhal, viola Mozart…” The tenor Michael Kelly’s recollection of that musical evening in 1784 in Vienna has been the source of much speculation by musicologists, and it is also one of the things that inspired this recording. The four composers, all highly acclaimed in their day, met in multiethnic Vienna, and they shared the bond of friendship. While Mozart behaved towards Haydn with respect like that of a pupil towards a master and dedicated a series of six string quartets to him (including the “Dissonant Quartet” in C major), Haydn told Mozart’s father that his son was “the greatest composer known to me either in person or by name.” Dittersdorf was likewise unsparing with superlatives in his autobiography: “He is undoubtedly one of the greatest original geniuses, and I have never before known any composer with such an amazing wealth of ideas.” The names of Dittersdorf and Vaňhal are familiar to some, but few have encountered their music. This recording offers an opportunity to discover those nearly forgotten masters’ works superbly interpreted by the Bennewitz Quartet. The enthusiastic acclaim of international critics for their previous Haydn album is affirmation of their extraordinary quality in this repertoire.
More remarkable discoveries from the hand of the Bennewitz Quartet
Joseph Haydn (1732–1809) – String Quartet in G major, Op. 33/5. Jan Křtitel Vaňhal (1739–1813) – String Quartet in A major, Op. 33/2. Karl Ditters von Dittersdorf (1739–1799) – String Quartet No. 5 in E flat major. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756–1791) – String Quartet No. 19 in C major, K 465 “Dissonance”.
Bennewitz Quartet: Jakub Fišer – 1st violin, Štěpán Ježek – 2nd violin, Jiří Pinkas – viola, Štěpán Doležal – cello
“…Storace gave a quartet party to his friends. The players were tolerable, not one of them excelled on the instrument he played; but there was a little science among them, which I dare say will be acknowledged when I name them: First violin Haydn, second violin Baron Dittersdorf, violoncello Vanhal, viola Mozart…” The tenor Michael Kelly’s recollection of that musical evening in 1784 in Vienna has been the source of much speculation by musicologists, and it is also one of the things that inspired this recording. The four composers, all highly acclaimed in their day, met in multiethnic Vienna, and they shared the bond of friendship. While Mozart behaved towards Haydn with respect like that of a pupil towards a master and dedicated a series of six string quartets to him (including the “Dissonant Quartet” in C major), Haydn told Mozart’s father that his son was “the greatest composer known to me either in person or by name.” Dittersdorf was likewise unsparing with superlatives in his autobiography: “He is undoubtedly one of the greatest original geniuses, and I have never before known any composer with such an amazing wealth of ideas.” The names of Dittersdorf and Vaňhal are familiar to some, but few have encountered their music. This recording offers an opportunity to discover those nearly forgotten masters’ works superbly interpreted by the Bennewitz Quartet. The enthusiastic acclaim of international critics for their previous Haydn album is affirmation of their extraordinary quality in this repertoire.
More remarkable discoveries from the hand of the Bennewitz Quartet
Reviews
“Sehr dicht, sehr lebendig und doch sehr transparent in völliger Gleichwertigkeit aller vier Instrumente ist der Quartett-Klang – und doch hebt sich die sonnighelle 1. Geige führend etwas ab. Alle vier Streicher spielen mit liebender Hingabe, mit Zärtlichkeit, absoluter Reinheit der Intonation und schwebender Leichtigkeit… Die gut eingefangene Reinheit des Raumes des Domovina-Studios in Prag spielt eine gewichtige Rolle bei dieser CD, die böhmische Musizierlust, den Nachhall einer historischen Komponisten-Stunde und eine hübsche Produktions-Idee vereint.”
Klassik Heute, October 2024
“The Bennewitz Quartet’s captivating performances are well projected, sensitively phrased and abundant in contrasts of dynamic and mood… the quartet plays with commendable freedom and unanimity… Vaňhal and Dittersdorf’s quartets particularly showcase leader Jakub Fišer’s neat, unfettered and often bravura contributions, but his colleagues also gain prominence, especially in the episodes of both works’ energetic rondo finales.”
The Strad, November 2024
“The Bennewitz Quartet’s homage to that famous Viennese evening culminates in a superb performance of the Dissonance: rhythmically strong and supple, always sensitive to harmonic colour (as in their timing and shading of the finale’s sly key shifts) and alive to every subtlety of Mozart’s complex part-writing.”
Gramophone, November 2024
“If those four composers played with quite the same flare and energy as the Bennewitz Quartet, it must have been quite some occasion!”
BBC Music Magazine, December 2024
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Joseph Haydn
String Quartet No. 5 in G major, Op. 33, Hob. III:41
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| 1. | I. Vivace assai | 06:01 | |
| 2. | II. Largo e cantabile | 04:10 | |
| 3. | III. Scherzo. Allegro | 02:31 | |
| 4. | IV. Finale. Allegretto | 04:20 | |
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Jan Křtitel Vaňhal
String Quartet No. 2 in A major, Op. 33
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| 5. | I. Allegro moderato | 05:32 | |
| 6. | II. Arietta I - Arietta II | 04:13 | |
| 7. | III. Adagio sostenuto | 06:53 | |
| 8. | IV. Rondo. Allegro molto | 04:55 | |
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Karl Ditters von Dittersdorf
String Quartet No. 5 in E flat major, Op. 33 Kr 195
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| 9. | I. Allegro | 05:17 | |
| 10. | II. Menuetto. Non troppo presto | 03:31 | |
| 11. | III. Finale. Allegro | 02:55 | |
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Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
String Quartet No. 19 in C major, K 465 “Dissonance”
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| 12. | I. Adagio - Allegro | 10:34 | |
| 13. | II. Andante cantabile | 07:42 | |
| 14. | III. Menuetto. Allegro | 04:31 | |
| 15. | IV. Allegro molto | 05:54 | |