Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

Quintet in A major K. 581

Accompaniment: Cassini String Quartet: Charles Roth, 1st violin; Marla Smith, 2nd violin; John Madison, viola; John Iatzko, violoncello - Written for his friend and fellow Mason in Vienna, Anton Stadler, the quintet was completed in September of 1789, this and premiered a few days before Christmas of that year. It is one of Mozart's most perfect accomplishments-a score of proud serenity, transparent texture and radiant beauty. It is also an example of Mozart's uncanny ability to combine the best parts of chamber music and concerto music. The solo clarinet leads the ensemble but does not subjugate it. There is an infinite variety of interplay between the performing partners, and all five instruments undertake the virtuoso's role at one time or another. 'The result, ' says Homer Ulrich, 'is a piece of music whose charm and delicacy are difficult to duplicate in the literature of strings and winds. ' This deluxe 2-CD set includes the quintet in its original key with printed parts for both A and B-flat clarinets, and adds a repitched version for B-flat clarinetists, allowing players of that instrument easier execution plus the ability to learn the same fingerings as the composer's intended A clarinet for performance purposes.