Mozart: Requiem, Adagio and Fugue, K. 546 (Ars Transcribendi) Musicarius String Quartet

• 1 No. 1. Fugue in C Minor (from BWV 871) 02:34
• 2 No. 2. Fugue in E-Flat Major (from BWV 876) 03:20
• 3 Adagio and Fugue in C Minor, K. 546 06:26
• 4 Introit: Requiem aeternam 06:50
• 5 Sequentia: Dies Irae 01:57
• 6 Sequentia: Tuba mirum 03:05
• 7 Sequentia: Rex tremendae 01:57
• 8 Sequentia: Recordare 04:14
• 9 Sequentia: Confutatis 02:11
• 10 Sequencia: Lacrimosa 03:26
• 11 Offertorio: Domine Jesu Christe 03:19
• 12 Offertorio: Hostias 03:05
• 13 Offertorio: Sanctus 01:28
• 14 Offertorio: Benedictus 04:07
• 15 Offertorio: Agnus Dei 07:12
• Total Runtime 55:11

Info for Mozart: Requiem, Adagio and Fugue, K. 546 (Ars Transcribendi)

Mozart's famous Requiem in D minor KV 626 recorded by string quartet using a historical instrumantarium. Listening to this record we can move to the end of 18th century with all necessary aspects. This is beautiful, moving and exquisite Classicism.

Here I have got a new beautiful record of the „Musicarius” band. At the first glance it seems, that there are plenty of such records on the European market, because the material presents compositions of one of the most brilliant, but also popular composers of all time – Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and the „Musicarius” is a string quartet, which is the most common cameral form.

But closer acquaintance with this recording allows to notice the originality, rareness and enormous artistic significance of the record. Let’s consider several aspects of this recording.

As I have already mentioned, we are dealing with Mozart’s masterpieces. However, we can’t expect this insolent, giggling and malignant Dasher,whom we remember from Milos Forman’s film „Amadeus”. We are dealing with composer who is concentrated, mature and has eyes fixed on the past – on the great art of Johann Sebastian Bach. Having discovered in Leipzig the works of the Great Cantor, Mozart made many attempts to compose works, which referred to artistic, polyphonic Baroque style. The present recording includes unusual Adagio and Fugue c-minor KV 546, which shows a very powerful influence of Bach’s fugue style. Certainly it isn’t a Baroque pasticcio, Mozart is looking simply far ahead into the future in dealing with the form and above all in harmonic thinking.

How much Mozart appreciated Bach’s compositions, we can notice in his descriptions of the fugues by the Leipzig Cantor. In Koehl’s Catalogue under the number 404 were written three-voice Bach’s fugues, which were arranged by Mozart for a string trio and also supplied with additionally composed Adagio. However the Koehl’s Catalogue under the number 405 includes fugues from Das Wohltemperierte Klavier, which were adopted for a string quartet. But this time Mozart didn’t composed introductory parts.

Fortunately Adolf Hoffmann from the Moeseler publishing house chose and personally assigned, which was in my opinion very accurate, to every fugue an Adagio with corresponding tons and character.

Finally the greatest work recorded by the „Musicarius” is the Requiem, which is the most famous work of all Black Masses. The second aspect, which shows the uniqueness of this record is the art of transcription. This is an skillful art, cultivated though centuries, today unfortunately almost forgotten.

It is known, that the Requiem was composed (but unfinished) by Mozart to be a choir: solo voices and orchestra, where despite strings we can find an unusual set of brass instruments. There aren’t neither oboes, nor horns, but there are trumpets with kettle-drums, bassoons, trombones and basset horns. The „Musicarius” are performing the Requiem in a string quartet version. How is it possible? Well in the 18th and 19th centuries transcription practice was so popular that it was difficult to imagine that a carain composition could be presented in just one, basic version. And so symphonies, for example, have a version for the piano, for two or four hands, a trio, a quartet, or a string quintet, opera arias could be transcribed for two flutes etc. However Adagio and Fugue KV 546 from our record were written for two pianos (KV 426). We know the version of the famous g-minor KV 550 symphony for a string quintet, and from here it is not far to Beethoven’s own remake of II Symphony for the piano trio.

What was the purpose of these transcriptios? Undoubtedly economical. One product could be sold repeatedly, but still in those times not everyone could afford to collect a dozen of musicians to perform a certain symphonic work, or vocal – instrumental an the original, whereas an invitation of a few musicians from a string quartet was more probable. In the past, when you wanted to listen to your favourite composition, you should pay the musician performers or play it by yourself. The „Musicarius” recorded Mozart’s Requiem in the trancription of Peter Lichtenthal (1780-1853). It is interesting to note how he re-instrumented Mozart’s work. Every of the quartet instruments is independent and as important as the others. Let’s see for example the viola part, which is associated with harmonic filling of the composition. And so the viola is imitation the kettledrum part in Sanctus, then also the trombone solo part in Tuba Mirum, participates in all polyphonic, fugue fragments.

We are approaching another aspect – the selection of instruments. We are dealing with a string quartet, however it is not treated in an usual way. I must state thet the „Musicarius” are referring in its recording to an instrumental consort tradition from 16th and 17th centuries. As a consort we understand a set of homogeneous instruments, which differ only in their size and as a consequence the ambituse. In those times the consorts of recorders were built, from the tiny sopranino to the double – bass size, as well as many sorts of trombones, pomorts, viola da gamba and basically all kinds of instruments. There was also a violine consort, but it was quite overshadowed by the viola da gamba consort. A classical string quartet provides a certain supremacy of the first violins over the other parts, but here we have an unusual opportunity to delight in the consort violin sound, where all parts are equal. Besides if we mention the fact that the „Musicarius” are using a historical instrumentarium – not only the instruments, but also fiddlesticts, strings and historical practice, we get to the essence of this beautiful and valuable artistic intension of the „Musicarius”. Listening to this record, we can move to the end of 18th century with all necessary aspects, however not to the light, cheerful and sometimes even banal classicism, but to the period, where we have got on the one hand Strum und Drang and on the other hand on the horizon appears a spirit of the Romanticism. It is a moving, dark, tragic and exquisit Classicism. In my opinion is it an amazing record. (Zbigniew Pilch)

Musicarius String Quartet:
Mikołaj Zgółka, violin
Radoslaw Kamieniarz, violin
Piotr Chrupek, viola
Bartosz Kokosza, cello

Musicarius String Quartet
goes way beyond the widely accepted conventions in music. It was made in 2003 and performs mostly early music.

Musicarius uses instruments of the era or its replicas and formulates repertoire reflecting specific events from 200-300 years ago. The musicians are open to some interesting experiments- cooperation with the Polish Theatre of Dance and some alternative theatre groups resulted in new perspectives balancing at the verge of classical and electronic music as well as blurred the differences between an instrumentalist as a music performer and actor.

Collaboration with Jan AP Kaczmarek allowed to present, for the first time in Europe, music awarded an Oscar. Performing on numerous festivals brought a wide range of extremely interesting concert programmes which style evolves from the 20th century minimalist music and reaches up to the filled with passion baroque: from works of Wacław of Szamotuły to pieces composed among the last few years.

Musicarius is a constantly searching group. It takes up the challenge of creating a new quality as well as setting new boundaries both in music and art. The musicians don't give in to the previously set and widely known rules. Instead, they try to break the existing schemes and conventions.

This album contains no booklet.