4 Flute Quartets
Mozart's flute quartets are about as high-class as musical wallpaper gets. Unfailingly charming in their melodic material, they skirt profundity but demonstrate admirable wit and joyful music-making. Emmanuel Pahud has made several recordings for EMI that have boosted him to the top rank of today's flute soloists, and this one will add to his growing luster. Still under 30, Pahud became principal flute of the Berlin Philharmonic at age 22, talking the seat once held by James Galway. He plays with a light, rounded tone and with the freedom of phrasing that finds interesting details where many others offer generalized boredom. His string partners take a back seat in this music, but they're unfailingly musical and hold their own in the music's interplay. A stylish, highly recommendable disc.--Dan Davis