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Alon Goldstein and the Fine Arts Quartet record Mozart Concertos Nos. 16 & 26
July 21, 2025
Pianist Alon Goldstein and the Fine Arts Quartet, with bassist Voltan Orhon, have just recorded rare 19th Century chamber versions of Mozart’s Piano Concertos Nos. 16 & 26, their sixth album in the series following Naxos’s releases of Nos. 20/21, 23/24, 9/17, 19/25, and 18/22. Produced by multiple GRAMMY Award winner Steven Epstein, the disc is scheduled for release in 2026.
Alon Goldstein is one of the most original and sensitive pianists of his generation, admired for his musical intelligence and dynamic personality.
The internationally renowned Fine Arts Quartet (violinists Ralph Evans & Efim Boico, violist Gil Sharon, cellist Niklas Schmidt), was founded in Chicago in 1946. In 2026, the Quartet will celebrate its 80th anniversary (and Ralph Evans’s 44th) and continues to live up to its reputation as “one of the gold-plated names in chamber music.” (Washington Post).
Naxos is delighted to have been associated with the Quartet since 2006, when the ensemble made its first recording for the label, the three string quartets of Robert Schumann, which 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 to produce a steady stream of acclaimed performances of eclectic chamber works, among them, recent releases of superb little known early works by Beethoven, Enescu, and Dvořák.
The current project, the Quartet’s 23nd production for the Naxos label, features chamber transcriptions of two of Mozart’s most magnificent piano concertos, K.451 and K.537 (the “Coronation”), with the orchestra parts arranged for string quartet plus bass by the distinguished 19th-century German composer and conductor Ignaz Lachner.
The recording sessions took place July 15–16, 2025 at the Concert Hall of the Dorothy Young Center for the Arts at Drew University, New Jersey, USA.
‘Goldstein’s superb playing, which is equally matched and supported by the Fine Arts Quartet, with Alexander Bickard coming in on double bass, is one of the undeniable strengths of this…[album], together with the fidelity of the recording…’
– MusicWeb International ★★★★★
‘These interpretations are played in the best Mozart tradition. The performers remain true to themselves and represent their Mozart style in the most beautiful way: melodic, bright in sound, bouncy in articulation and with the necessary drive, but also sensitive where appropriate.’
– Pizzicato ★★★★
‘These chamber versions…are quite extraordinary, sounding as if Mozart had transcribed them himself. It makes for a fascinating listen…’
– Classic FM
‘…the performances are wonderful. The current iteration of the venerable Chicago-based Fine Arts Quartet sounds as polished and committed as ever, and Alon Goldstein is an elegant and thoughtful Mozartian.’
– Fanfare