It is good to see CRD (which has been remastering a number of enticing reissues in the past couple of years) is still making new recordings; and none finer than this. Their Chilingirian sets of the Mozart Haydn Quartets (1980) and the late quartets (1984), with their natural musicality and realistic sound, have dominated the catalogue and they are still among the top recommendations for these works. The quartet’s personnel have changed but Levon Chilingirian still leads the ensemble, and Philip De Groote remains as cellist. The newcomers blend as excellently and as perceptively as their predecessors.

The performances here are notable for their total spontaneity: how splendidly the group bounce off the opening of the C major Quintet, K515, with just the right degree of weight from the cello, and how beautifully they phrase the beautiful Adagio of K174. The simplicity of the Andante of K515 is ravishing and the brilliant finale is particularly infectious. These are among the very finest performances available on modern instruments and promise well for the rest of the set; the recording is exemplary in balance and natural in timbre.

And what makes the coupling doubly valuable is the inclusion of Mozart’s first thoughts for the Minuet and Trio and Finale of K174. As Hugh Wood points out in his excellent notes, whether the replacements are improvements each listener must decide for him- or herself. But they make a highly stimulating close to the disc.