From Naxos News
In the Studio: Alon Goldstein and the Fine Arts Quartet record Mozart Piano Concertos in rare transcriptions August 1, 2019
Members of the Fine Arts Quartet teamed up once again with pianist Alon Goldstein and bassist Alexander Bickard for a recording of rare 19th-century chamber versions of Mozart’s Piano Concertos, this time of Nos. 9 and 17. This is the third in their series for Naxos; the first two comprised Concertos Nos. 20 and 21 (8.573398) and Nos. 23 and 24 (8.573736). Alon Goldstein is one of the most original and sensitive pianists of his generation, admired for his musical intelligence and dynamic personality. Scheduled for release in 2020, this latest recording was again produced and engineered by multiple GRAMMY-Award winner Steven Epstein.
The internationally renowned Fine Arts Quartet (violinists Ralph Evans and Efim Boico, violist Gil Sharon, cellist Niklas Schmidt), was founded in Chicago in 1946. This year, the Quartet celebrates its 73rd anniversary and continues to live up to its reputation as “one of the gold-plated names in chamber music.” (Washington Post)
This latest project for Naxos, their seventeenth release for the label, features seldom heard chamber transcriptions of two of Mozart’s magnificent piano concertos, K. 271 and K. 453. The orchestral parts were arranged for string quartet and double bass by the 19th-century German composer and conductor Ignaz Lachner.
Naxos is delighted to have been associated with the Fine Arts Quartet since 2006, when the ensemble made its first release for the label, a recording of Robert Schumann’s Three String Quartets, Op. 41. It received the American Record Guide’s Critic’s Choice award and was described as “one of the very finest chamber-music recordings of the year.”
From that auspicious beginning, a happy association between artists and label has continued with a steady stream of acclaimed performances of eclectic chamber works. December 2019 will see their next release that features Beethoven’s monumental Grosse Fuge and a collection of rareties: the brilliant but forgotten original versions of his quartets Op. 18 No. 1 and Op. 131; plus several miniatures, including his virtually unknown Preludes and Fugues.
The Fine Arts Quartet (Ralph Evans, Efim Boico, Gil Sharon, Niklas Schmidt) joined by Alon Goldstein & Alexander Bickard The recording sessions took place July 28–30, 2019 at the Dorothy Young Center for the Arts at Drew University, New Jersey in the US.