SCO - Mozart Divertimento & Oboe Quartet - Audiophile Audition

K. 205, 247, 287, and 334 belong to a series of chamber works designated for small string ensemble (single player) and two horns. The one recorded here in particular is the best of the lot, and the last time Mozart would use the form until the magnificent Divertimento for String Trio, K. 563, composed in 1788. The K. 334 is a rich example of the composer's inventiveness and part writing, and his melodic material is exceptionally notable in what he regarded as a "Cassation", or piece of music meant for the street. This one most likely remained in the parlor. Alexander Janiczek plays the violin beautifully, and the Scots band backs him up all the way.

I was originally just as enthusiastic about this performance of the seminal Oboe Quartet, surely one of Mozart's most engrossing and engaging works, and oboist Robin Williams does have a lovely sound. The piece hails from the time of the composer's opera Idomeneo, and was written for Mannheim oboist Friedrich Ramm in 1878. Ramm was noted for his exceptional tone, and Mozart writes a piece that really has no rival for expressive possibilities in the entire literature.