The Piano Quartets are like heavenly twins, alike on the outside but very different in tone. The G minor, like all Mozart's works in that key, is intense, introspective and even tragic in places. The E flat is extrovert, bracing, brilliant and straightforwardly pleasurable.

The present performances feature what, at first glance, is a strange match between a pianist who made his name in Hollywood and members of a quartet drawn from the archetypal central European orchestra, the Vienna Philharmonic. But there was always more to André Previn than his connection with the movies implied.

The Quintet in E flat, KV 452 could hardly be more different from the piano quartets. For one thing, it involves Mozart's four favourite wind instruments - oboe, clarinet, horn and bassoon. All four winds have their distinctive solos and, where possible, Mozart combines them in differing combinations against the piano. The sessions were overseen by the legendary Decca producer Christopher Raeburn, a Mozartian to his fingertips. The great Hungarian pianist András Schiff (born 1953) was joined by four illustrious wind soloists: Swiss oboist and composer Heinz Holliger (born 1939), his compatriot clarinettist Elmar Schmid (born 1947), Croatian horn player Radovan Vlatkovic (born 1962), and German bassoonist Klaus Thünemann (born 1937).

‘I have nothing but praise for the Decca recording and the way it achieves a just and highly satisfactory balance between the piano and the strings’ - Gramophone, March 1982 (Piano Quartets)

‘The wind players are excellent and blend well, while the overall ensemble displays a fine unity. The balance places the piano more backwardly than usual, but no detail of Schiff’s playing is lost.’ - Gramophone, April 1995 (Quintet)