Over two decades Britain’s Doric Quartet has recorded a varied repertoire with Haydn a mainstay from the start. Surprisingly there has been no Beethoven or, until this latest album, Mozart. With their ongoing survey of the complete Haydn works considered by many to be gold standard – their Op. 26 and Op. 76 albums were both nominated for Limelight recording of the year – their first Mozart foray has been greatly anticipated. And it does not disappoint.

Mozart

Interestingly the group – founding members leader Alex Redington and cellist John Myerscough, American second violinist Ying Xue and French violist Helene Clement – have chosen the three Prussian Quartets rather than the more popular, and generally considered superior, “Haydn” set of six composed a few years earlier. Mozart was commissioned by the Prussian king Friedrich Wilhelm II to write six quartets, but the composer died before he could complete them. They’re noted for their strong cello parts – the king was a player – and Redington and his colleagues find plenty of meat on the bones of these magical works.

Myerscough...