Mozart, Ligeti, Bach - Labyrinth

The Guardian 80

Dudok Quartet Amsterdam
(Resonus)

Mozart, Ligeti, Bach? A curious combination but one suggested to the impressive Dudok Quartet Amsterdam when considering musical labyrinths. Mozart uses rhythmic and dynamic ruses to confuse us in his String Quartet No 14 in G major and wrong-foots us completely with a double fugue, while Ligeti employs thickets of micropolyphony to obscure the way through his frightening String Quartet No 2, cogently played by these imaginative players. And the link with Bach? Both composers drew inspiration from the puzzles JS devised in his canons. These mysterious little exercises sometimes come to an abrupt halt, lost in the labyrinth. A neat idea.