Listening for the first time to the C Minor Quintet KV 406 one would hardly imagine that it is the transcription of an earlier piece for eight wind instruments; so masterly was Mozart’s work in adapting it, that it did not offend his artistic conscience, as has been suggested somewhat boldly by Einstein. True enough, in the arrangement some of the rich colors of the original are lost, but it would be a grave mistake to look upon the C minor Quintet KV 406 simply as a preparatory study.

The two Quintets KV 515 and KV 516 were, in any case, a great step forwards in purely aesthetic term. In the C major quintet KV 515, the cello plays a manifestly concertante roll from the very first beats of the opening Allegro, in which it weaves a long dialogue with the first violin.

The calm, pensive atmosphere of this memorable page foreshadows Schubert, as Karl Geringer has rightly pointed out; with its intimacy and the colloquial gentleness of its thematic ideas, this Allegro breaks with the old concepts of the serenade-quintet or the symphony-quintet and firmly enters the world of chamber music.

The following Andante is based on the dialogue between the first violin and a viola and is a piece, dominated by a sort of Elysian, moving simplicity, whilst the Minuet is full of profound melancholy, with a Trio in the guise of unaccompanied lied. The Finale is mainly serene and character, although the frequent chromaticism in the long run, produces a hint of gloom.

Salvatore Accardo, Violin
Margaret Batjer, Violin
Toby Hoffman, Viola
Cynthia Phelps, Viola
Rocco Filippini, Cello