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5MBS 'CD of the Week' November 22nd 2009 

 

Beloved of the Gods brings together Australia’s most gifted musicians performing masterpieces by two divinely inspired composers, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Felix Mendelssohn.The Dean Emmerson Dean trio’s members, clarinettist Paul Dean, his brother violist Brett Dean and pianist Stephen Emmerson perform Mozart’s Trio for Clarinet, Viola and Piano in E flat major, K498 ‘Kegelstatt’ written by Mozart to be played with his close friends. The piece’s title ‘Kegelstatt’ refers to the “bowling alley” where Mozart spent happy hours playing the game “skittles” and composing in the days immediately prior to writing this Trio K498.

 

The ebullient performance and high spirits of Emmerson and the Dean brothers during the making of this recording echoes Mozart’s joy in making music with close friends and congenial musicians.

The Dean-Emmerson-Dean trio follows the ‘Kegelstatt’ trio with Stephen Emmerson’s Papamina Suite, an effervescent arrangement of music from Mozart’s The Magic Flute. Emmerson’s arrangement presents the ensemble with unique opportunities to break new ground in Mozart’s music.—from sublime arias to buffo duets to superbly re-imagined orchestral textures..

The brilliant young Tinalley String Quartet completes this SACD release with the Mendelssohn String Quartet No. 2 in A minor, Op.13, ‘Ist es wahr’ one of the central pieces in their winning performance at the Banff International Chamber Music Competition in 2007.

Since 2003 the Tinalley String Quartet has rapidly achieved recognition as one of the most musically creative young quartets on the world chamber music stage. Their performance of the Mendelssohn quartet on this recording beautifully demonstrates the qualities to which enthusiasts and officianados are drawn in Tinalley’s performances. Their use of sonorities and articulation is remarkable with at one point the ensemble sounding like an accordion behind the solo fiddle, at another sounding like a symphony orchestra accompanying a sotto-voce recitative. From lyrical moments to thundering climaxes, Tinalley offers persuasive support for the proposition that the string quartet is the perfect ensemble.

There is a depth of intelligence at work in this ensemble that is a rare gift in the musical world. ‘Extraordinarily superior playing in very sophisticated and deeply felt interpretations.’ Forum Kultur Heppenheim (Germany)

Beloved of the Gods was produced with the generous support of the Ian Potter Foundation.

 

Review Excerpts 

 

Paul Dean Biography

 

Brett Dean Biography

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