Quatuor Mosaïques

The sound of the Quatuor Mosaïques stands out from the crowd. A balanced sound, clear articulation and transparency are qualities that have become their trademark. They have based their quartet playing entirely upon this sound aesthetic and have carried it with them since leaving the Nikolaus Harnoncourt Concentus Musicus Wien in 1983. Their original intention was to perform the classical repertoire on period instruments, but they have gradually moved forward in musical history. In this entirely Viennese programme the Quartet in Eb D87 by Schubert is the most classical of the works. It is a frivolous early work, intended for domestic use. Schubert wrote a great deal of dance music for balls and this was mainly arranged for solo piano or four hands. He also arranged some of this music for string quartet, including the five 'German dances'. Add a few waltzes by Josef Lanner (1801-1843) and the Biedermeier image is complete. You'll be twirling all the way home!