Mozart’s piano quartets, sharply contrasted, are among the finest of his chamber works, with K478 bringing depths that G minor always seems to draw from him. This new performance has a better, more just balance, so that sparkling piano is a constant delight, partnered by an exceptionally strong trio of string players – lighter and faster than rivals, yet dazzlingly clear. The E flat K493 is more orchestral in texture, but again this performance is lighter and the slow movement more tenderly expressive. In the finale too the Nash play with extra sparkle, with rhythms jauntily sprung, far more charming than rivals, and the rapid triplet figuration is a delight to the ear. This new offering stands among the finest.
