Mozart: String Quartets, K. 387 & 458 (Dedicated to Joseph Haydn)

Featuring

Lukas Hagen
Rainer Schmidt
Veronika Hagen
Clemens Hagen
Hagen Quartett
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

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Composition History

Mozart composed these two quartets, K. 387 and K. 458, as part of a group of six known as the 'Haydn Quartets' between 1782 and 1785 in Vienna.

Recording & Production

This album was recorded in December 2014 at Sendesaal Bremen, with Stephan Cahen serving as Executive & Recording Producer, Balance & Recording Engineer, Digital Editing, and SACD Mastering.

Composition History

Mozart initially offered these six quartets to a Parisian publisher for 50 Louis d'or, a price considered incredibly high for quartets at the time, equivalent to what he would receive for large operas.

Performer Biography

The Hagen Quartett, whose career began in 1981, performs on instruments made by Antonio Stradivari, known as the 'Paganini' Quartet, on loan from the Nippon Music Foundation.

Composition History

Mozart dedicated these quartets to his 'fatherly friend' Joseph Haydn, who was a great model for him.

Compositional Technique

The 'Haydn Quartets' by both Haydn and Mozart marked a shift from a contrapuntal approach to a freer connection of musical themes, where the lower three parts became equal partners with the first violin.

Critical Reception

After a private performance of these quartets, Joseph Haydn told Leopold Mozart (Wolfgang's father) that his son was the greatest composer he knew, possessing taste and profound knowledge of composition.