Wolfgang Meyer is known for his performances on the modern clarinet; here he uses a basset clarinet (that is, one with a downward extension of two whole tones), of the type used by Mozart's clarinettist friend Anton Stadler, for which Mozart wrote most of his late clarinet music, and a period one at that. He produces a very full, rounded, beautiful tone, possibly more sensuously so than would have been favoured in Mozart's time, but always perfectly tuned and with extremely light articulation. In the Quintet he has the advantage of playing with the Mosaiques, a much, and justly, admired French period-instrument group. The performance may not have quite the high gloss finish that modern players expect, but it does not fall far short, and to my mind the price is worth paying, for the playing achieves a warm, gentle, autumnal style that suits the work very happily. The sensitive moulding of cadences in the first movement and the quiet intensity of the Larghetto with its dense string writing actually enhanced (at least to my taste) by the vibrato-less playing, are a delight. Here and there Meyer's clarinet, when played very softly, speaks a little late; once or twice there is what seems like a faint hesitancy in the rhythms, at least for an instant. The worst example comes in the second trio of the Minuet; it would have been worth a retake. The variations are done crisply and with spirit; the one with the clarinet leaps is enhanced by the 'basset' possibilities, which permit him to skip an extra octave to good effect. There is a curious little appoggiatura inserted by the first violinist at the start of the second half of the theme which is a bit puzzling, but here and there the players add, legitimately enough, a touch of decoration.
Mozartians might find the performance of the Trio a shade more controversial. Patrick Cohen uses a good deal of rubato, always very musically and expressively, but arguably it is too disturbing to the pulse. I find it attractive and persuasive though rather mannered, and am not sure that I would want to play the record very often. The other players of course follow him, but one doesn't sense that, when they lead, they lead in quite the same direction. In the finale, Cohen shapes his passagework very interestingly and meaningfully even when it is essentially accompaniment; there are perhaps things in his playing that belong to a piano concerto performance (I hope he may record some of them) rather than in chamber music. At one point in the Minuet, Meyer chooses a reading from Mozart's autograph rather than the familiar version from the first printed edition which surely represents an authentic correction; the effect is very odd. Still, in every respect thought-provoking performances, with never a hint of a dull moment.'