Sunday Times / graham55

Posted by: Anna Tooth on 14 November 2005

Hi Graham

You were way ahead of the game! Look what the Sunday Times said about our Mozart/Allegri disc yesterday:

MOZART

String quintets in C, K515, and G minor, K516
Allegri Quartet, Prunella Pacey (viola)

Naim CD085

The C major quintet, with its majestic, infinitely subtle opening allegro and its sublime andante, has a good claim to be considered Mozart’s instrumental masterpiece - greater, one might say (if such comparisons weren’t odious) even
than its companion from the spring of 1787, the passionate, feverish G minor.
The C major receives a richly satisfying performance from the Allegri, under
their leader of 28 years, Peter Carter, with the added advantage that the enigmatic minuet is placed second in the sequence of movements, not third (as current fashion would have it). The movements of the G minor – incisive, well paced, naturally expressive – is almost equally good. DC


The Sunday Times
13th November 2005

Anna
Posted on: 14 November 2005 by graham55
Anna

I'm delighted that the new disc is getting coverage outside the specialist hi-fi press. Who knows, a good review in Gramophone and you may have a money spinner!

Incidentally, I do think that, in classical music, it helps to have great works by the same composer on a disc. Not something you've done with the Allegris until now.

All the best.

Graham
Posted on: 15 November 2005 by Anna Tooth
Hi Graham

We always let the musicians we record follow their own musical path.... the Allegris have done mixed repertoire discs in the past as their choice, and likewise they have chosen to record two works by Mozart for the new one. Our policy is to rely on the musical integrity of those we are recording, but I do take your point!

Anna
Posted on: 15 November 2005 by graham55
Anna

Please forgive me if my earlier reply suggested that I was trying to tell you how to do your job. Not my intention at all!

I accept, and applaud, your philosophy of allowing the artist(s) to decide what should appear on their discs. After all, if one went to (say) an Allegri Quartet concert, it would be perfectly natural to have a Beethoven quartet in the first half, followed by a Britten quartet in the second half. And I can see that the Allegris were probably guided by what they might present in a typical concert when planning that particular disc (CD027).

But I do think that LP/CD collectors go about things in a rather different way: they tend to want their Beethoven coupled with Beethoven and Britten with Britten.

All of which leads me to believe that you deserve great success with the Mozart coupling.

Best wishes.

Graham