Mozart: The String Quintets Alexander String Quartet feat. Paul Yarbrough

• Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756 - 1791): String Quintet No. 1 in B-Flat Major, K. 174:
• 1Mozart: String Quintet No. 1 in B-Flat Major, K. 174: I. Allegro moderato09:29
• 2Mozart: String Quintet No. 1 in B-Flat Major, K. 174: II. Adagio07:19
• 3Mozart: String Quintet No. 1 in B-Flat Major, K. 174: III. Menuetto ma allegretto04:03
• 4Mozart: String Quintet No. 1 in B-Flat Major, K. 174: IV. Allegro05:52
• String Quintet No. 3 in C Major, K. 515:
• 5Mozart: String Quintet No. 3 in C Major, K. 515: I. Allegro14:01
• 6Mozart: String Quintet No. 3 in C Major, K. 515: II. Andante06:13
• 7Mozart: String Quintet No. 3 in C Major, K. 515: III. Menuetto. Allegretto08:41
• 8Mozart: String Quintet No. 3 in C Major, K. 515: IV. Allegro07:43
• String Quintet No. 4 in G Minor, K. 516:
• 9Mozart: String Quintet No. 4 in G Minor, K. 516: I. Allegro10:52
• 10Mozart: String Quintet No. 4 in G Minor, K. 516: Menuetto - Trio. Allegretto05:27
• 11Mozart: String Quintet No. 4 in G Minor, K. 516: III. Adagio ma non troppo07:59
• 12Mozart: String Quintet No. 4 in G Minor, K. 516: IV. Adagio - Allegro09:51
• String Quintet No. 2 in C Minor, K. 406:
• 13Mozart: String Quintet No. 2 in C Minor, K. 406: I. Allegro08:54
• 14Mozart: String Quintet No. 2 in C Minor, K. 406: II. Andante03:56
• 15Mozart: String Quintet No. 2 in C Minor, K. 406: III. Menuetto in canone03:49
• 16Mozart: String Quintet No. 2 in C Minor, K. 406: IV. Allegro06:28
• String Quintet No. 5 in D Major, K. 593:
• 17Mozart: String Quintet No. 5 in D Major, K. 593: I. Larghetto - Allegro10:01
• 18Mozart: String Quintet No. 5 in D Major, K. 593: II. Adagio06:22
• 19Mozart: String Quintet No. 5 in D Major, K. 593: III. Menuetto. Allegretto05:23
• 20Mozart: String Quintet No. 5 in D Major, K. 593: IV. Allegro05:15
• String Quintet No. 6 in E-Flat Major, K. 614:
• 21Mozart: String Quintet No. 6 in E-Flat Major, K. 614: I. Allegro di molto07:39
• 22Mozart: String Quintet No. 6 in E-Flat Major, K. 614: II. Andante07:21
• 23Mozart: String Quintet No. 6 in E-Flat Major, K. 614: III. Menuetto. Allegretto04:07
• 24Mozart: String Quintet No. 6 in E-Flat Major, K. 614: IV. Allegro05:36
• Total Runtime02:52:21

Info for Mozart: The String Quintets

Mozart’s string quintets represent "some of his most sophisticated musical thinking … wonderful music, exhilarating to hear” (from the liner notes by Eric Bromberger). With this three album set, the Alexander String Quartet and Paul Yarbrough complete their Mozart compendium.

From the liner notes by Eric Bromberger: "We think of Mozart as a pianist, but he was also a violinist, and a very good one. After playing a series of concerts in 1777, the 21-year-old exulted: “I played as though I were the greatest fiddler in all of Europe.” Yet the role of violinist appears to have had limited appeal for Mozart, and when he played chamber music, he invariably chose to play the viola. There are many accounts, especially during his years in Vienna, of Mozart’s playing the viola in chamber performances. These range from the famous “quartet evening” in 1784 (when Dittersdorf and Haydn were the violinists and Vanhal the cellist) to the premiere of his Clarinet Quintet in December 1789. Why was Mozart drawn to the mid-range role of the viola rather than the more extroverted role of violinist? Perhaps he liked being in the “middle” of the music, where harmonies shift and unexpected rhythms underpin the more exposed melodic lines. Perhaps he simply liked the husky sound of the viola. Whatever the reason, Mozart felt a particular fondness for the viola, a fondness that showed up in some very particular ways in his chamber music."

"Like almost every other composer, Mozart found the string quartet a supremely challenging form. He was usually a fast worker, but it took him several years to compose the six quartets he dedicated to Haydn in 1785, and he readily admitted that those quartets had been “the fruit of long and laborious study.” Yet the addition to the string quartet of one more instrument — the viola — appears to have freed Mozart in unexpected ways, and his six string quintets offer a different kind of music from his quartets, magnificent as those are. In his quintets, Mozart did not set out to make the viola the star, but the addition of the extra viola offered him a broader canvas and unlocked new possibilities. His quintets generate a richer, fuller sound — one that can at times emphasize the sound of the viola — and they offer increased opportunities to contrast different groupings of instruments and sonorities. They also provided Mozart with grander vistas: his quintets are in general longer than his quartets (two of these quintets are among his longest chamber works, longer in fact than any of his symphonies). One senses, in ways hard to define, that Mozart was more comfortable writing string quintets than he was writing string quartets.

Mozart composed his first string quintet at age 17 and his last in the year of his death, so it might seem that he wrote string quintets across the span of his career, but that is not the case. His first quintet was a foray into new territory for the young composer, and then Mozart set the form aside for fourteen years — his final five quintets were all created in the last four years of his life. As such, they represent some of his most sophisticated musical thinking. They offer wonderful music, exhilarating to hear (and to play!), sometimes very moving, and always very beautiful."

Alexander String Quartet
Paul Yarbrough, viola

The Alexander String Quartet
has performed in the major music capitals of five continents, securing its standing among the world's premier ensembles over nearly three decades. Widely admired for its interpretations of Beethoven, Mozart and Shostakovich, the quartet has also established itself as an important advocate of new music through over 25 commissions and numerous premiere performances. The Alexander String Quartet is a major artistic presence in its home base of San Francisco, serving there as directors of the Morrison Chamber Music Center at the School of Music and Dance in the College of Arts and Humanities at San Francisco State University and Ensemble in Residence of San Francisco Performances.

The Alexander String Quartet's annual calendar of concerts includes engagements at major halls throughout North America and Europe. The quartet has appeared at Lincoln Center, the 92nd Street Y and the Metropolitan Museum in New York City; Jordan Hall in Boston; the Library of Congress and Dumbarton Oaks in Washington, D.C., and at chamber music societies and universities across North America. Recent overseas tours have brought them to the U.K., the Czech Republic, the Netherlands, Italy, Germany, Spain, Portugal, Switzerland, France, Greece, the Republic of Georgia, Argentina and the Philippines. Among the quartet's more unusual collaborations has been numerous performances of Eddie Sauter's seminal Third Stream work, "Focus," in collaboration with Branford Marsalis, David Sánchez and Andrew Speight.

A particular highlight of the last season was a celebratory concert in February 2012, marking the quartet's 30th anniversary. For the occasion, San Francisco Performances commissioned a new work by Jake Heggie, "Camille Claudel: Into the Fire," a work for string quartet and mezzo-soprano; the Alexander was joined in the world premiere by Joyce DiDonato. Other highlights of the 2011-12 season included two multiple concert series for San Francisco Performances, one presenting the complete quartets of Bartók and Kodály and the other music of Schubert; a Dvo?ák series for Mondavi Center, and a continuing annual series at Baruch College in New York City, this season featuring the Bartók cycle. Other important series include Concerts International in Memphis, the Tuesday Evening Concert Series in Charlottesville, the Asheville Chamber Music Series and the inaugural concert of a new chamber music series at the Capitol Theatre at Ruth Eckerd Hall in Clearwater, Fla. They also continue their annual residencies at Allegheny College and St. Lawrence University, this year in collaboration with The Crane School of Music at SUNY Potsdam.

The Alexander String Quartet added considerably to its distinguished and wide-ranging discography over the past decade. The ASQ's three newest releases on the FoghornClassics label in the spring of 2012 include works by Brahms, Gershwin, Kern, Beethoven and new commissions from Paul Chihara, Veronika Krausas and Michael Gandolfi. A forthcoming Bartók/Kodály cycle recorded on the renowned Ellen M. Egger matched quartet of instruments built by San Francisco luthier Francis Kuttner will be released in the fall.

The Alexander String Quartet was formed in New York City in 1981 and the following year became the first string quartet to win the Concert Artists Guild Competition. In 1985, the quartet captured international attention as the first American quartet to win the London International String Quartet Competition, receiving both the jury's highest award and the Audience Prize. In May 1995, Allegheny College awarded Honorary Doctor of Fine Arts degrees to the members of the quartet in recognition of their unique contribution to the arts. Honorary degrees were conferred on the ensemble by St. Lawrence University, Canton, in May 2000.

Paul Yarbrough
is observing 34 years of service as the founding violist of the Alexander String Quartet. As a member of the ASQ, he has performed more than 2,000 concerts on 5 continents and made numerous recordings, including the complete string quartets of Beethoven (twice), Shostakovich and Bartok. The ASQ received international attention when they won First Prize and Audience Prize at the London International String Quartet Competition in 1985.

Mr. Yarbrough is a passionate educator, serving as Director of the Morrison Chamber Music Center and Professor of Viola at San Francisco State University for 25 years. He and his ASQ colleagues are Artists in Residence with San Francisco Performances. In addition to their home affiliations in San Francisco, the ASQ maintains visiting residencies at St. Lawrence University, Allegheny College and Baruch College of CUNY. Mr. Yarbrough is dedicated to communicating his love and knowledge of chamber music to audiences and students, having developed many programs to explore connections between music and other disciplines and art forms.


Mr. Yarbrough is a native of Clearwater, Florida, where he began his studies of viola, also attending Davidson College, Penn State University, Hartt School of Music and the Juilliard School. He has been awarded Honorary Doctorates from Allegheny College and St. Lawrence University and the Presidential Medal from Baruch College.

Booklet for Mozart: The String Quintets