It is undeniable and easy to hear that Haydn inspired Mozart. But it is not so easy to demonstrate if and how this inspiration was mutual. In any event, this new recording by the A mati Quartet postulates the stimulating musicological thesis that Haydn was also inspired by Mozart’s music. The String Quartet in C major K. 170, which Mozart composed in Vienna in 1773, evokes the style and structure of Haydn’s Quartet in E flat major op. 17 No. 3. It was not until 1784, however, that Mozart met Haydn in Vienna. The younger man dedicated six quartets to his already famous colleague, "mio caro amico Haydn." These quartets were all published by Artaria, along with their dedication. Haydn, in turn, expressed his admiration for Mozart in 1785 at a performance of the Dissonance Quartet in C major K. 645 when he told Mozart’s father: "Before God and as an honest man, I tell you that your son is the greatest composer known to me either in person or by name. He has taste and, what is more, the most profound knowledge of composition." We shall never know how close the two composers really were, for ultimately their personalities were very different. The attempt to trace how the two great masters may have mutually influenced one another serves as an invitation to listeners to open themselves up to these works in the exciting interpretation of the Amati Quartet and discover aspects that have never been heard before.

 

The Amati Quartett for the Haydn recording: Willi Zimmermann, first violin | Katarzyna Nawrotek, second violin | Nicolas Corti, viola | Claudius Herrmann, violoncello

 

The Amati Quarettt for the Mozart recording: Willi Zimmermann, first violin | Anahit Kurtikyan, second violin | Nicolas Corti, viola | Claudius Herrmann, violoncello