Franz Schubert: String Quartet No. 14/String Quartet No. 12

1. String Quartet No. 14 in D minor ("Death and the Maiden"), D. 810
Composed by Franz Schubert
with Mandelring Quartet

2. String Quartet No. 12 in C minor ("Quartettsatz"), D. 703
Composed by Franz Schubert
with Mandelring Quartet

Tracks:

Brandenbutg Concerto No.3 In G First Movement
Overture No.3 In D Second Movement
Violin Concerto In E First Movement
Prelude In C minor
Jesu Bleibet Meine Freude (Chorus From Cantata No.147)
Overture No.2 In B minor Minuet And Badinerie
Oboe Concerto In D minor Second Movement
Brandenburg Concerto No.4 In G Third Movement
Musical Offering - Fuga canonica
Easter Oratorio - Overture
Minuet In D minor
Kommst Du Nun, Jesu, Vom Himmel herunter(From Choral Prelude BWV 650
Brandenburg Concerto No.1 In F Second Movement
Art Of The Fugue - Contrapunctus 9
Concerto For Flute, Violin, Harpsichord And Strings. Triple Concerto - Third Movement
Overture No.4 In D - Réjouissance
Concerto No. 1 in E: Spring
Concerto No. 1 in E: Spring
Concerto No. 1 in E: Spring
Concerto No. 2 in G minor: Summer
Concerto No. 2 in G minor: Summer
Concerto No. 2 in G minor: Summer
Concerto No. 3 in F: Autumn
Concerto No. 3 in F: Autumn
Concerto No. 3 in F: Autumn
Concerto No. 4 in F minor: Winter
Concerto No. 4 in F minor: Winter
Concerto No. 4 in F minor: Winter
Concerto for Flute, Strings & Basso Continuo in G minor, Op. 10, no.2
Concerto for Flute, Strings & Basso Continuo in G minor, Op. 10, no.2
Concerto for Flute, Strings & Basso Continuo in G minor, Op. 10, no.2
Concerto for Flute, Strings & Basso Continuo in G minor, Op. 10, no.2
Concerto for Flute, Strings & Basso Continuo in G minor, Op. 10, no.2
Concerto for Flute, Strings & Basso Continuo in G minor, Op. 10, no.2
Concerto Grosso in A minor, Op. 3, no. 8
Concerto Grosso in A minor, Op. 3, no. 8
Concerto Grosso in A minor, Op. 3, no. 8
Water Music - Alla Hornpipe
Xerxes - Ombra Mai Fu (Largo)
Messiah - And The Glory Of The Lord
Concerto Grosso In A Minor, Op. 6, No. 4 - Larghetto Affettuoso
Organ Concerto In F, Op. 4, No. 4 Allegro
Water Music - Air
Messiah - For Unto Us A Child Is Born
Concerto Grosso In B flat, Op. 3, No. 2 - Largo
Salomon - Sinfonia, Act 3
The Choice Of Hercules - While For Thy Arms
Water Music - Allegro (Suite No. 1)
Suite No. 5 In E - Air With Variations
Jephtha - How Dark, O Lord
Organ Concerto In F, Op. 4, No. 5 Alla Siciliana - Presto
Mi Palpita Il Cor (Solo Cantata) S'un Di M'adora
Water Music - Andante Allegro Da Capo
Concerto for Trumpet & Orchestra in E-flat: First Movement
Symphony No. 94 in G: Surprise Symphony-second movement
Concerto for Violin No. 2 in D: Third Movement
Flute Trio No. 31 in G: Second Movement
Symphony No. 31 in D: Hornsignal-First Movement
String Quartet No. 17 in F, Op. 3, no. 5: Serenade Quartet-Second Movement
Sinfonia Concertante in B-flat for Violin, Cello, Oboe, Bassoon and Orchestra-Third Movement
Concerto for 2 Horns & Orchestra in E-flat: Second Movement
Symphony No. 88 in G: Fourth Movement
String Quartet No. 77 in C: Kaiser Quartet-Poco adagio cantabile
Notturno No. 1 in C: Second Movement
Symphony No. 98 in B: Londoner No. 4-Fourth Movement
Eine Kleine Nachtmusik - first movement
Piano Concerto in A - second movement
Flute Concerto in D - Rondeau
Serenade - Minuet
Violin Concerto - first movement
Symphony No. 40 in G minor - first movement
Clarinet Concerto - second movement
Turkish March
Divertimento - Minuet
Horn Concerto No. 3 in E-flat - first movement
Symphony No. 5 in C minor, Op. 67-First Movement
Piano Sonata No. 14 in C sharp minor, Op. 27, no. 2: Moonlight Sonata-First Movement
Overture
O welche Lust (Prisoners' Chorus)
Ha, welch ein Augenblick (Pizarros's Aria)
Concerto for Piano and Orchestra No. 3 in C minor, Op. 37: Second Movement
Concerto for Violin and Orchestra in D, Op. 61: Third Movement
Piano Sonata No. 8 in C minor, Op. 13: Pathétique-Second Movement
Sympony No. 6 in F, Op. 68: Pastorale-First Movement
Fantasy for Piano, Chorus and Orchestra in C minor, Op. 80: Choral Fantasy - Finale
German Dance No. 1 In C
Impromptu Op. 90, No. 3 In G-Flat
Heidenroslein
Ave Maria
Der Lindenbaum
Quintet In A 'Trout Quintet' - Andante
Mass No. 6 In E-Flat - Kyrie
Die Schone Mullerin Des Mullers Blumen
German Dance No. 2 In G
Piano Sonata In B-Flat
Nachtgesang Im Walde
Winterreise - No. 15: Die Krahe
German Mass - Zum Sanctus (Heilit, Heilig Ist Der Herr)
Symphony No. 8 In B Minor 'Unfinished' - Second Movement
Waltz No. 1 in E-flat, Op. 18 Grande Valse brillante
Nocturne in E-flat, Op. 9, no. 2
Etude in G-flat, Op. 10, no. 5
Concerto for Piano and Orchestra No. 2 in F minor, Op. 21-Second Movement
Mazurka in D minor, Op. 33, no. 2
Prelude in D-flat, Op. 28, no. 15 Raindrop
Etude in C, Op. 10, no. 1
Nocturne in D-flat, Op. 27, no. 2
Impromptu No. 4 in C-sharp minor, Op. 66 Fantasy Impromptu
Scherzo in B minor, Op. 20
Piano Sonata No. 2 in B-flat minor, Op. 35-Third Movement
Concerto for Piano and Orchestra No. 1 in E minor, Op. 11 - Third Movement
Piano Concerto No. 1 in B-flat minor - first movement 113.String Seranade - Waltz
Violin Concerto - second movement
The Sleeping Beauty - Waltz
Capriccio Italien, Op. 45
Swan Lake - Waltz
Eugene Onegin - Polonaise
The Nutcracker - Waltz of the Flowers
Orchestral Suite No. 4 - Mozartiana - Third Movement
Swan Lake - Dance of the Swans
Symphony No. 6 in B minor - Pathétique - Third Movement
Hungarian Dance No.5
Lullaby
Symphony No.1 in C minor, Op. 68 - Third Movement
Intermezzo in E-flat, Op.117, no. 1
Concerto for Violin and Orchestra in D, Op. 77 - Third Movement
Waltz, Op. 39, no. 15
Concert for Piano and Orchestra No. 2 in B-flat, Op. 83 - Second Movement
String Quintet in G, Op. 111 - Second Movement
Symphony No.4 in E minor, Op. 98 - Third Movement
Intermezzo in A minor, Op. 76, no. 7
Hungarian Dance No.1 in G minor
German Requiem Selig sind die Toten (Final Chorus)
Die Fledermaus - Overture
Kaiser Waltz, Op.437
Thunder And Lightning Polka, Op. 324
Roses From The South Waltz, Op. 388
AnnenPolka, Op. 117
Vienna Blood Waltz, Op. 354
Eljen A Magyar Polka, Op. 332
Wine, Women and Song Waltz, Op. 333
On The Beautiful Blue Danube Waltz, Op. 134
Die Meistersinger Von Nurnberg - Overture
Tannhauser - Die Pilger sind's (Pilgims' Chorus)
Tannhauser - O du mein holder Abendstern (Wolfram's Aria)
Lohengrin - Act 3 Prelude and Bridal Chorus
The Flying Dutchman - Jo-ho-he Traft ihr das Schiff (Senta's Ballad)
The Flying Dutchman - Steuermann, lass die Wacht (Sailors' Chorus)
Die Walkure - Wintersturme wichen dem Wonnemond (Siegmund's Aria)
Die Walkure - Ride of the Valkyries
Siegfried Hoho! Hoho! Hohei! Schmiede mein Hammer (Siegfried's Forging Song)
Tristan und Isolde - Liebestod
Thus sprach Zarathustra, Op. 30 (excerpt)
Don Juan, Op. 20
Eine Alpensinfonie, Op. 64, I.Nacht
Don Quixote, Op.35, first movement: Introduction
Salome, Op. 54, Dance Of The Seven Veils
Der Rosenkavalier, Op. 59, Finale: Hab' mir's gelobt ihn lieb zu haben
Piano Concerto 2 In C minor, Op. 18 - First Movement
Vocalise, Op.34, No. 14
Prelude In G Sharp minor, Op. 32, No. 12
Piano Concerto No. 4 In G minor, Op. 40 - Third Movement
Symphony No. 2 In E minor, Op. 27 - Third Movement
Piano Concerto No. 1 In F sharp minor, Op. 1 - Second Movement
Rhapsody, Op. 43 On A Theme By Paganini
Hungarian Rhapsody No.2
Liebestraum No.3 in A-flat
Piano Concerto No.1 in E-flat - third movement
Angelus
Mephisto Waltz No.1 (Dance in a Village Tavern)
Prelude and Fugue on B-A-C-H
Dante Symphony - Finale. - Purgatorio - Magnificat
Les Préludes
Boléro
Daphnis et Chloé first movement: Nocturne
Rhapsodie Espagnole
Shéhérazade - first movement: Asie
Ma Mère l'Oye - fourth movement: La Belle et la Bête
Introduction and Allegro for Harp, Flute, Clarinet, and String Quartet
La Valse
Slavic Dance No. 1 in C, Op. 46, no.1
Symphony No. 9 in E minor, Op. 95 'From the New World' - second movement
Humoresque, Op. 101
Slavic Dance No. 8 in G minor, Op. 46, no. 8
Serenade for String Orchestra, Op. 22 - second movement
Romance for Violin and Orchestra In F minor, Op. 11
Symphony No. 7 in D minor - third movement
Melodie (Songs My Mother Taught Me)
Carneval Overture, Op. 92
Concerto for Cello and Orchestra in B minor, Op. 104 - third movement
Symphony No.4 In A, Op. 90. Italian - First Movement
Frühlingslied In A, Op. 62, No. 6
Wedding March (From A Midsummer Night's Dream, Op.61)
Duetto In F, Op.30, No.6 (From Songs Without Words)
String Symphony No.9 In C. Schweitzer Symphony - Third Movement
Concerto For Violin, Piano And String Orchestra No. 1 In D minor - Second Movement
Symphony No.3 In A minor, Op.56 Scottish - Third Movement"
Notturno (From A Midsumment Night's Dream, Op. 61)
Rondo Capriccioso, Op.14
String Symphony No. 12 In G minor - First Movement
Venetian Gondola Song In F Sharp minor, Op.30, No.6
Scherzo (From A Midsumment Night's Dream, Op. 61)
Violin Concerto In E minor, Op.64 - Third Movement
Peer Gynt - Suite No. 1, Op. 46 - Morgenstimmung
Holberg Suite, Op. 40 - I. Prelude. Allegro vivace
Holberg Suite, Op. 40 - IV. Air. Andante religioso
Arietta, Op. 12, no. 1
Homage March from Sigurd Jorsalfar, Op. 56
Peer Gynt - Suite No. 2, Op. 55 - Solveig's Song
Wedding Day at Troldhauen, Op. 65, no. 6
The Last Spring, Op. 34, no. 2
Peer Gynt - Suite No. 1, Op 46 - Anitra's Dance
Nordic Melody Op. 63
Notturno, Op. 54, no. 4
Elegie, Op. 47, no. 5
Peer Gynt - Suite No. 2, Op. 55 - Arabic Dance
Piano Concerto in A minor, Op. 16 - Allegro
Symphony No. 3 in E flat, Op. 97 - Rhenish - first movement
Traumerai (from Kinderszenen, Op. 15)
Mondnacht (from Eichendorff-Liederkreis, Op. 39)
Aufschwung (from Fantasietucke, Op. 12)
Triolett, Op. 114, no. 2
Tanzlied (No. 1 from Duets, Op. 78)
Symphony No. 4 in D minor, Op. 120 - second movement
Frühlingsgruss
Abschied (from Waldszenen Op. 82)
Dichterliebe, Op. 48 - Im wunderschonen Monat Mai
Manfred Overture, Op. 115
Romance in F sharp, Op. 28, no. 2
Die Rose stand im Tau
Liebesgarten (from Four Duets, Op. 34)
Warum? (from Fantasiestucke, Op. 12)
Kennst du das Land, Op.79, no. 29 (from Lieder der Mignon, Op. 98a)
Von fremden Landern und Menschen (from Kinderszenen, Op. 15)

Album Description

An extraordinary 20-CD collection of great works by Bach, Vivaldi, Handel, Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven, Schubert, Chopin, Tchaikovsky, Brahms, Ravel, Mendelssohn, Rachmaninoff, J. Strauss, R. Strauss, Schumann, Wagner, Dvorak, Grieg and Liszt. It also features worldrenowned artists such as Sir Neville Marriner, Martha Argerich, Ivo Pogorelich, Hermann Prey, Reiner Goldberg, Sylvia Sass, Jochen Kowalski, Peter Schreler and many more. This exquisite, copper metallic, deluxe boxed set is the perfect gift for the classical music neophyte.

Customer Reviews:

Mill. Classical review.......2007-05-13

This is a great set of recordings for the money, the only problem was I've had to clean some of the CD's before they played correctly.

classical music for the unitiated.......2007-04-01

This set is a good way to start listening to classical music. It's very well produced and easy to listen to. I purchased it to use as part of my world history high school class. It would have been nice to have some bio information on the composers. However, the product is exactly as advertised and good value for the money. The students were intrigued by how many of the excerpts they had heard before.

Some little gems there that I had forgotten!.......2007-03-30

Although I studied classical music at school, I had all but forgotten it until I bought this set. I heard several tracks I haven't heard for over 30 years, and I had been humming Brahms's 'Hungarian Dance no. 5' for years without ever knowing what it was and it was on the disc, so that was nice.

I found it to be a very good selection overall, but I felt too much had already been heard on TV, which of course is what lots of newcomers to classical music might appreciate. I managed to find about 2 hours of tracks that I wanted to keep, which works out quite expensive per disc, but I did find some wonderful music I had completely forgotten about, so it was worth it. All in all, it represents good value, and I have only knocked one star off as so much of it had been used in adverts.

It is definitely a good introduction to classical music, and it has made me want to listen to more of it, so I don't regret this 'expensive' purchase one bit!

Classical Masterpieces of the Millennium [20 CD Set]

A very helpful collection.......2007-03-24

I define this set as an excellent way to find out who you like, and who you don't, among 20 of the important composers. It opens the door to purchasing more complete pieces by composers you do like, and can save a lot of time and money in the process.
To criticize the set for not containing more composers, or more than just snippets of those who are in the set, is missing the point: it is a helpful introduction to finding your way in the huge maze of classical music. It succeeds admirably in this.
Sound quality is uniformly very good on an audiophile system.
Highly recommended.

Excellent!.......2007-03-08

A great way to start a classical music collection. It's nice to have a full CD of each composer. It makes it easy to keep track of selections/composers I already have and what composers I still need to puchase to complete my collection.

Average customer rating:

This set or the Auryn Quartet set?
Buy it for the right reasons
Great Music for a Good Price

Schubert: The String Quartets

Manufacturer: Deutsche Grammophon
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Quartets | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music

Classical | Box Sets | Stores | Music

Deutsche Grammophon: Music | Specialty Stores | Music
Similar Items:

Brahms: Complete String Quartets, Quintets & Sextets
Schubert: The Piano Sonatas
Dvorák: The String Quartets
Schubert: 8 Symphonies
Brahms: Works for Solo Piano

ASIN: B00002DEH3
Release Date: 1999-11-09

Tracks:

String Quartet (In Various Keys), D 18 (No.1): Andante - Presto vivace
String Quartet (In Various Keys), D 18 (No.1): Menuetto
String Quartet (In Various Keys), D 18 (No.1): Andante
String Quartet (In Various Keys), D 18 (No.1): Presto
String Quartet in C major, D 32 (No.2): Presto
String Quartet in C major, D 32 (No.2): Andante
String Quartet in C major, D 32 (No.2): Menuetto. Allegro
String Quartet in C major, D 32 (No.2): Allegro con spirito
String Quartet in B flat major, D 36 (No.3): Allegro
String Quartet in B flat major, D 36 (No.3): Andante
String Quartet in B flat major, D 36 (No.3): Menuetto. Allegro non troppo
String Quartet in B flat major, D 36 (No.3): Allegretto
Quartet Movement In C Minor, D 103: Grave - Allegro

Tracks:

String Quartet in C major, D 46 (No.4): Adagio - Allegro con moto
String Quartet in C major, D 46 (No.4): Andante con moto
String Quartet in C major, D 46 (No.4): Menuetto. Allegro
String Quartet in C major, D 46 (No.4): Allegro
String Quartet In B Flat Major, D 68 (No.5): Allegro
String Quartet In B Flat Major, D 68 (No.5): Allegro
String Quartet In D Major, D 74 (No. 6): Allegro ma non troppo
String Quartet In D Major, D 74 (No. 6): Andante
String Quartet In D Major, D 74 (No. 6): Menuetto. Allegro
String Quartet In D Major, D 74 (No. 6): Allegro

Tracks:

String Quartet In D Major, D 94 (No. 7): Allegro
String Quartet In D Major, D 94 (No. 7): Andante con moto
String Quartet In D Major, D 94 (No. 7): Menuetto. Allegro
String Quartet In D Major, D 94 (No. 7): Presto
String Quartet In B-Flat Major, D 112 (No. 8): Allegro ma non troppo
String Quartet In B-Flat Major, D 112 (No. 8): Andante sostenuto
String Quartet In B-Flat Major, D 112 (No. 8): Menuetto. Allegro
String Quartet In B-Flat Major, D 112 (No. 8): Presto
String Quartet In G Minor, D 173 (No. 9): Allegro con brio
String Quartet In G Minor, D 173 (No. 9): Andantino
String Quartet In G Minor, D 173 (No. 9): Menuetto. Allegro vivace
String Quartet In G Minor, D 173 (No. 9): Allegro

Tracks:

String Quartet In E-Flat Major, Op. Post. 125, No. 1, D 87 (No. 10): Allegro moderato
String Quartet In E-Flat Major, Op. Post. 125, No. 1, D 87 (No. 10): Adagio
String Quartet In E-Flat Major, Op. Post. 125, No. 1, D 87 (No. 10): Scherzo. Prestissimo
String Quartet In E-Flat Major, Op. Post. 125, No. 1, D 87 (No. 10): Allegro
String Quartet In A Minor, Op. 29, No. 1, D 804 (No. 13) 'Rosamunde': Allegro ma non troppo
String Quartet In A Minor, Op. 29, No. 1, D 804 (No. 13) 'Rosamunde': Andante
String Quartet In A Minor, Op. 29, No. 1, D 804 (No. 13) 'Rosamunde': Menuetto. Allegretto
String Quartet In A Minor, Op. 29, No. 1, D 804 (No. 13) 'Rosamunde': Allegro moderato

Tracks:

String Quartet In E Major, Op. Post. 125, No. 2, D 353 (No. 11): Allegro con fuoco
String Quartet In E Major, Op. Post. 125, No. 2, D 353 (No. 11): Andante
String Quartet In E Major, Op. Post. 125, No. 2, D 353 (No. 11): Menuetto. Allegro vivace
String Quartet In E Major, Op. Post. 125, No. 2, D 353 (No. 11): Rondo. Allegro vivace
String Quartet In D Minor, D 810 (No. 14) 'Death And The Maiden': Allegro
String Quartet In D Minor, D 810 (No. 14) 'Death And The Maiden': Andante con moto
String Quartet In D Minor, D 810 (No. 14) 'Death And The Maiden': Scherzo. Allegro molto
String Quartet In D Minor, D 810 (No. 14) 'Death And The Maiden': Presto

Tracks:

Quartet Movement In C Minor, D 703 (No. 12): Allegro assai
String Quartet In G Major, Op. Post. 161, D 887 (No. 15): Allegro molto moderato
String Quartet In G Major, Op. Post. 161, D 887 (No. 15): Andante un poco moto
String Quartet In G Major, Op. Post. 161, D 887 (No. 15): Scherzo. Allegro vivace - Trio. Allegretto
String Quartet In G Major, Op. Post. 161, D 887 (No. 15): Allegro assai

Customer Reviews:

This set or the Auryn Quartet set?.......2004-06-06

I read, in a book on string quartets, the statement: "More than half of the best string quartets had been written when Schubert died in 1828". I agree, but would put the percentage at more like 75 or 80%. The author went on to include all of Schubert's, even those that he wrote as a teenager. I was surprised by this comment, but now, having now heard his complete string quartets, I have to agree. Even his early ones are superb!

To the recordings: I was just a bit disappointed. The sound seems a bit harsh in places, not as warm as sets I have by the Quartetto Italiano (Beethoven), Melos Quartet (Mozart) and Aoelian Q (Haydn). No doubt they are technically very correct, and show real liveliness - the violins just sound a bit scratchy in places.

The only other complete set seems to be the Auryn Quartet recording, highly recommended by the Penguin guide, but twice as expensive. Naxos offers 12 or the 15 quartets on 5 separate CDs. I'd liked to have heard the Auryn recording before I'd made the decision to purchase this one - who knows, I might have made the same decision anyway.

Buy it for the right reasons.......2002-10-04

I agree with the other review, but there is an alternative to this set, by the Auryn Quartet, and it is also excellent. So, buy this set for the right reasons, whatever those are, such as: the sound quality of this Chamber Ensemble (extremely warm)
or the overall feel of their playing (caring, respectful). Buy the set from the Auryn quartet if you care more about the sound quality of the recording (it is noticeably better) or if you happen to like a younger, slightly more aggressive approach.
Frankly I have both sets, and love both.

Great Music for a Good Price.......2002-05-02

I bought this set in Dec. '01 and it has since become a favorite in my collection. Schubert is a great composer and in my opinion, the quartets are where he really shines.

Sadly, it is hard to find recordings of all but the last four. In total, there are fourteen plus two fragments- one incomplete and one lost. They are all here and at such a good deal!

The first two discs (first five quartets and a fragment) really stand out. These were quartets Schubert composed as a student and they capture well the energy of youth and have a beautifully simple quality that always makes Schubert stand out. The middle discs track his early career with a more mature motif development revealing a taste of the boldness to come from his later quartets. Not as melodic as the first quartets in my opinion, but a treat nonetheless. Then ah! the last three discs. "Rosamunde," "Death and the maiden," Quartettstatz and C 703. Can you possibly go wrong? Don't answer that. You know it doesn't get better!!

Now we come to recording quality. Well, the Melos Quartet recorded these in the mid 70's. They've been digitally touched up and well done. Still, not convincing enough to sound like new. Treble and Mid is alright but the Bass is really lacking and overall, it still lacks the full sound of recordings from the Emerson and Tokyo quartets. Still, with touchup, these recordings sound more like late 80's- Not Bad!

Tracks:

Rosamunde, D. 797: Overture
Mozart: String Quartet In B-Flat Major, K. 172
Marche Militaire, D. 733, No. 1
Hark, Hark, The Lark!, D. 889
Mass No. 5 In A-Flat Major, D. 678: Credo
Symphony No. 5 In B-Flat Major, D. 485: Allegro
Symphony No. 4 In C Minor, D. 417 'Tragic': Finale: Allegro
Moment Musicaux No. 3 In F Minor, D. 780
Piano Sonata In A Minor, D. 845: Moderato
The Erl King, D. 328
Symphony No. 2 In B-Flat Major, D. 125: Allegro
Symphony No. 6 In C Major, D. 589 'Little': Andante
Symphony No. 6 In C Major, D. 589 'Little': Scherzo
To Music, D. 547
The Trout, D. 550
Piano Quintet In A Major, D. 667 'Trout': Theme And Variations
Octet In F Major, D. 803: Finale
Impromptu In B-Flat Major, D. 935 No. 3
String Quintet In C Major, D. 956: Allegro ma non troppo
Wanderer Fantasy In C Major, D. 760
Symphony No. 8 In B Minor, D. 759 'Unfinished': Allegro moderato
Symphony No. 9 In C Major, D. 944 'Great': Andante-Allegro ma non troppo
Mass No. 6 IN E-Flat Major, D. 950: Gloria
String Quartet No. 14 In D Minor, D. 810 'Death And The Maiden': Andante con moto
Symphony No. 8 In B Minor, D. 759 'Unfinished': Andante
Ave Maria, D. 839
Symphony No. 5 In B-Flat Major, D. 485 (Complete): Allegro
Symphony No. 5 In B-Flat Major, D. 485 (Complete): Andante con moto
Symphony No. 5 In B-Flat Major, D. 485 (Complete): Menuetto: Allegro molto
Symphony No. 5 In B-Flat Major, D. 485 (Complete): Allegro vivace

Customer Reviews:

inspired performance !!!.......2001-09-02

this collection deserves more than 5 stars.peter maag and the philharmonica hungarica are in top form.this is the best ever of schubert's fifth and eigth i have ever listened to.it is not karl bohm or leonard bernstein or george szell or lorin maazel.
truly the hungarians inspired by maag easily beat all the other top orchestras.
the orchestral texture is transparent with a perfect balance among the string sections ,the woodwind and the brass sections.peter maag obviously loves this music and brings out the heavenly beauty ,the pathos and the monumental dramatic quality of these works.
just listen to schubert's fifth second movement which ends with a heart rending cello phrase.
it is a shame that the well established record companies have not thought it fit to record more of peter maag.in my opinion he is one of the greatest ever conductors.
i will not exchange these performances for any other!

Schubert: The Late String Quartets; String Quintet

Average customer rating:

FULL APPRECIATION

Schubert: The Late String Quartets; String Quintet

Manufacturer: Deutsche Grammophon
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Quartets | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

Quintets | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music

Deutsche Grammophon: Music | Specialty Stores | Music
Similar Items:

Beethoven: The Late String Quartets
Brahms: Complete String Quartets, Quintets & Sextets
Mendelssohn: The Complete String Quartets / Emerson String Quartet
Mozart: String Quartets Nos. 14 - 23
Shostakovich: The String Quartets

ASIN: B0001ZWGI8
Release Date: 2004-06-15

Customer Reviews:

FULL APPRECIATION.......2007-03-20

Until this bargain priced recording on three discs of the Emerson Quartet playing Schubert`s last four string quartets (included also is the String Quintet in C major, D956 featuring Rostropovich on cello), down through the years, I really did not have too much of an appreciation for Schubert's Quartets # 12, 13, 14, 15. For some reason their beauty eluded me. Now, with this recording, I love the works especially the #15 in G major. It is indeed filled with drama, pathos and great beauty. I don't think I can blame this "new found" appreciation on any maturation on my part. I really believe, it's soley due to the exquisite playing of the Emerson Quartet. They really play these works not like they are "walking on eggshells" but with vigor, passion and beauty. Also, I'm sure, that the wonderful recorded sound helped in my appreciation too.

I plan on seeking out more Schubert performed by the Emerson Quartet--they are so very good!!

Franz Schubert: String Quartets D 804 "Rosamunde", D 810 "Death and the Maiden", D 887, D 703 and String Quintet D 956

Average customer rating:

SO MUCH THAT I WANT EVEN MORE
Schubert's late chamber masterpieces
Awesome music, interesting performance
Schubert + Emerson = Listener Satisfaction
Good but not Best

Franz Schubert: String Quartets D 804 "Rosamunde", D 810 "Death and the Maiden", D 887, D 703 and String Quintet D 956
Franz Schubert , Emerson String Quartet , and Mstislav Rostropovich
Manufacturer: Deutsche Grammophon
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Quartets | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

Quintets | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music

Classical | Box Sets | Stores | Music

Deutsche Grammophon: Music | Specialty Stores | Music
Similar Items:

The Haydn Project
Mendelssohn: The Complete String Quartets / Emerson String Quartet
Intimate Voices
Beethoven: The String Quartets
Bela Bartok: The 6 String Quartets - Emerson String Quartet

ASIN: B00000I0L8
Release Date: 1999-02-09

Tracks:

String Quartet In A Minor, D 804, Op. 29: Allegro ma non troppo
String Quartet In A Minor, D 804, Op. 29: 2. Andante
String Quartet In A Minor, D 804, Op. 29: 3. Menuetto. Allegretto - Trio
String Quartet In A Minor, D 804, Op. 29: 4. Allegro moderato
String Quartet In D Minor, D 810 'Death And The Maiden': 1. Allegro
String Quartet In D Minor, D 810 'Death And The Maiden': 2. Andante con moto
String Quartet In D Minor, D 810 'Death And The Maiden': 3. Scherzo. Allegro molto - Trio
String Quartet In D Minor, D 810 'Death And The Maiden': 4. Presto

Tracks:

String Quartet In G Major, D 887: 1. Allegro molto moderato
String Quartet In G Major, D 887: 2. Andante un poco mosso
String Quartet In G Major, D 887: 3. Scherzo. Allegro vivace - Trio. Allegretto
String Quartet In G Major, D 887: 4. Allegro assai
Quartet Movement In C Minor, D 703: 5. Allegro assai
Quartet Movement In C Minor, D 703: 6. Andante (fragment)

Tracks:

String Quintet In C Major, D 956: 1. Allegro ma non troppo - Franz Schubert
String Quintet In C Major, D 956: 2. Adagio - Franz Schubert
String Quintet In C Major, D 956: 3. Scherzo, Presto - Trio, Andante sostenuto - Franz Schubert
String Quintet In C Major, D 956: 4. Allegretto - Franz Schubert

Customer Reviews:

SO MUCH THAT I WANT EVEN MORE.......2007-05-24

To say the least, nobody purchasing this set is likely to regret it. Just at the pedestrian level of value-for-quantity the value is brilliant, and at the artistic level it is more brilliant still. The professionalism and technical proficiency of the Emerson group probably needs little highlighting by now, but these players are musicians first and foremost. Apart from perfect intonation and ultra-perfect ensemble they have added variety to their unfailing beauty of sound. The start of the G major quartet, which can sometimes be a bit of an assault on the ears, is done ideally, with the exploding chords sonorous and majestic. At the other end of the volume-scale there is a wonderful breathless hush near the end of the variations in the D minor, and in this same quartet I don't think I ever heard the enchanting second subject of the first movement phrased so beautifully.

How do they relate to Schubert? For me, Schubert is a composer apart. All his compositions are early works, and in the five pieces comprised in this set I sense a steady advance in certainty and consistency. By the time of the quintet he is fully inside his own individual style, but at every stage of his development there are sequences in which someone or something beyond the merely human seems to be speaking or singing, using him as a mouthpiece, and it taxes even the greatest of his exponents to detect and express these. They are not a matter of one specific idiom, but of several, and the better the interpreters handle such passages the more I find myself longing for some ideal that I refuse to consider unreachable, because I have always heard it reached by someone at some time. One issue is represented by the second subject in the G major's first movement. When this comes round for the second time, in the recapitulation with new counterpoint, the Emersons are perfect for me. However at its first appearance this theme, with its muttering self-repetitions, has a somnambulistic air to it that the Novak quartet on my old LP capture ideally for me, and I wonder whether the Emersons are just a little bright-eyed and clean-limbed. The sense of that grew on me as the set progressed. The great melody from the first movement of the quintet (with Rostropovich on the second cello) suits me fine as they do it, but in the trio of the G major's scherzo while they sing the melody like angels what I want is not people like angels but the angels themselves. I have heard them in this movement before. In a different mode of expression there is the G major's last movement. Schubert produced a similar finale to his late C minor piano sonata, and I would have been more than satisfied with the Emersons here, particularly with the magnificent tone at the end, if I did not know Ogdon's performance of the sonata movement, one of the greatest interpretations I ever heard, with the whole huge piece seemingly taken in a single breath.

The very first and the very last things on this set are especially testing for interpreters of Schubert. The last movement in the quintet, a piece in a very special Schubertian idiom, is my idea of unqualified perfection here. The speed is not too fast, the variations in pace are superbly judged, there is the right sense of a heavy and almost dragging undertow to the rhythm in the accompaniment, and the phrasing of the second theme is something to live for. The set starts with the A minor quartet, and here I held my breath, because with that opening theme we are communing with something not of this world. Verdi, so immune in general to German influence and so gifted with melody himself, explicitly takes off his hat to it at the start of his Requiem. The balance of the melody against the hypnotic wavy accompaniment is perfect here, so is it my absolute ideal? It's somewhere near it at least.

Only one movement out of the whole eighteen seems to me not quite right. The last movement of the D minor is a little fast for my liking, but I could live with that. However the Emersons' fast tempo really does seem symptomatic of a sense that they have missed a deeper tone to the movement, and I felt that in the cadence-theme to the exposition and recapitulation in particular. My thoughts reverted to how this is done by the Gabrieli Quartet on my beloved old LP, with the impression of an apparition of the four horsemen of somewhere that makes me catch my breath to this day. On the other hand, for many people the high spot of such a set is likely to be the slow movement of the quintet, and I can report a reading to rank with the finest here, time held in abeyance as it should be and the control of the sustained long notes perfect beyond perfection.

The set dates from as long ago as 1988, I see, and I wonder how these divinely gifted artists do these pieces nearly twenty years on. The recording is excellent, an absolute necessity for playing like this. The liner notes are also good, except for the one on the quintet, and I seem not to have mentioned so far that we are given the outstandingly lovely fragment of the intended slow movement to the Quartettsatz. Altogether, an outstanding issue in nearly every way. I am reminded of Schubert's epitaph `A rich treasure and still fairer hopes'. These players are young enough to do these quartets again, as they are to do Beethoven's again, and I hope I am still young enough to hear how they do them.

Schubert's late chamber masterpieces.......2005-10-29

The strong points of this 3-CD set are: (1) the immeasurably rich compositions from Schubert, (2) the excellent coupling of the last four quartets with the quintet, (3) the above-average Emerson Quartet performance and (4) the superb value from DG. If you are not familiar with Schubert's chamber works, these four quartets and string quintet are very late masterpieces and some of Schubert's most intricate, mature and monumental compositions. These, along with Schubert's late piano sonatas, reveal glimpses into his deep struggles and pain (through the explosive, dissonant outbursts) but also tender moments of joy and repose as well. It seemed in his final year or two that he was emerging into a consumate maturity as a composer - which tragically was cut short by his early death (supposedly due to complications from Syphilis). The quintet is especially magnificant with each movement being as towering as the next.

There is no arguing that the Emerson Quartet stands among the finest current quartets around. Whether you gravitate to their particular style and sound is quite a personal matter. Certainly, the Emersons get strong accolades for their late Beethoven and recordings of more modern (and 'edgy') composers. In such bold, purcussive and chromatic music they seem to excel and find their greatest expression. Schubert - while 'edgy' in his own way in these late chamber works - still composed in the somewhat-restrained Vienesse tradition (being born and bread in Vienna himself) although parallels to Beethoven are abundent in the music here. Consequently, Schubert's chamber music has still a strong classical flavor and typical Schubertian lyricism. Like another reviewer mentioned, the Emerson Quartet's style is a bit more "direct" and "sharp" in terms of phrasing, articulations and tonality somewhat. Some call their style "A Manhattan style" - I guess suggesting the directness that people from Manhattan are known for (no offense to New Yorkers).

Regardless, the Emerson's style becomes more apparent when comparing with European quartets like the Alban Berg, the Quartetto Italiano and the Quatuor Mosaiques - all of which perform this music with what is often described as a more traditional "Old World Austrian style" (particular the Alban Berg Quartet who hails from Austria). So, while the Emerson's put forth dramatic, precise and interesting readings here, I think at times they "attack" the music too aggressively for its intent and period in history. Schubert was first and foremost a master of melody and lyricism - which does not go away even in his most dissonant and explosive momements. There just seems - at times - an overly-direct expressiveness and tempos that are driven a bit too quickly from the Emersons and a lack of the needed elegance and lyrical smoothness of Schubert's music when called for. But, such things are nuance and not a matter of right or wrong really. However, this quartet dynamic brings out the needed emotive effect in pieces like the potent G-major scherzo movement or the electifying Quartetsalz. Ditto that as well for the great quintet in C major - which a live recording with the legendary cellist, Rostropovich. So, the Emerson's playing here on the whole is impeccably precise and consumately professional so it is more a question whether you like their style nuances as compared to others.

Part of this above conclusion may be colored in part by the sound quality here on DG, which I found to be deficient in tone richness and resonant depth. It just sounds stark and dry - lacking the resonant, harmonic fullness and proper sound stage that allow music to "breath" more and sound more expansive and dramatic. But on the positive side, the instrument balance is great and the sound is full in volume and not "hissy" with a close-miked ambiance allowing clear differentiation of instruments if you like that kind of sound.

The Quartets who to me best capture these most complex and emotive quartets most fully are the (1) Alban Berg (quartets and especially the quintet), (2) the Quatuor Mosaiques (who play a most expressively and nuanced Rosamunde) and (3) the Quartetto Italiano (all quartets, especially the G major quartet which is truly staturesque in its harmonic depths). And for the great quintet, the Marlboro Festival recording (Sony) is highly recommended for its spirited live performance, along with the Alban Berg's "Great Recording of the Century" on EMI.

This DG 3-CD set is a fine recording and value - I just don't think it is the music in which this top quartet shines the brightest. I think the others listed above represent Schubert on a higher plane of excellence and more idiomatic to the composition. But, this DG coupling of the last four great quartets plus the monumental string quintet is fairly unique and priced to be the best value out there. Either way, what is most important is to explore these most wonderful chamber masterpieces.

Awesome music, interesting performance.......2004-07-22

These five compositions--Schubert?s last quartets and nearly his last work, the string quintet--have got to be one of the most underappreciated achievements in the history of artistic endeavor. Who else ever captured such an incredible spectrum of emotions in such exquisite poetry, without Romantic excess? Only Shakespeare comes to mind.

The Emerson performances of the quartets are extremely interesting?very high on the drama, maybe not so high on the poetry. There is immense energy and passion, the usual Emerson technical excellence, but not warmth exactly. Someone reviewing the Berg Quartet?s version of D.887 said he hasn?t gone back to Emerson after hearing ABQ (?honey has replaced the razor blades?). I feel like I couldn?t go back to ABQ after Emerson. The way the Emerson four do the first movement of D.887?I just get a lump in my throat and a little shiver down my spine every time I hear it. If the music can be played this way, why wimp out? I guess I?ll take the razor blades?.

The performance of the quintet with Rostropovich is of a different order: brilliant AND warm. I suggest checking out the reviews of the separately issued CD. This is music-making of a very high order indeed. If the set was the only way to get this performance of the quintet, I?d recommend buying the set. With the quality of the other performances, a fantastic deal.

Schubert + Emerson = Listener Satisfaction.......2002-02-23

First, these quartets are some of the best written to date so if you've not heard them, you should. Second, This is a great set to start with.
From the subtle first movement of Rosemunde, to the confused fury of Death and the Maiden, Emerson's interpretations are immense and multi-dimensional, constantly engaging the listener to jump further into the music. Not bad for a thirty some-odd dollar CD set.
The shining moment is the Quartettsatz. Already (in my opinion) THE BEST nine minutes of chamber music ever, Emerson adds to its appeal taking a bold flirty approach with it; Like a good crime novel, building an undeniable forward motion. It's so sad when after two minutes, the second movement cuts off. If the reader has no idea what I'm talking about, take my word. It will effect you.
The reason for the subtracted star is that, although Emersons in-your-face approach works well for the fast, bold movements, they can not fully shake it in the slower movements, where it sounds clumsey and innapropriate. The second movement in Rosamunde and D 703 could've done with more delicate treatment. For experienced Schubert listeners, Emerson adds a refreshing twist to these quartets. For the beginner, this is an exciting starting point.

Good but not Best.......2000-12-12

Unless you are in a hurry or care about the modern, digital sound, wait for Sony to release the Budapest Quartet version of these quartets on CD. That is the version to have; its absence from CD is one of the great gaps in the catalog.

Average customer rating:

Perfection at its Very Worst
3 DISCS ACTUALLY
String Quartet Delight
haydn, haydn, haydn
Simply marvelous....

The Haydn Project
Bela Bartok , Ludwig van Beethoven , Antonin Dvorak , Franz Joseph Haydn , Charles Ives , Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart , Franz Schubert , Dmitry Shostakovich , Anton Webern , and Emerson String Quartet
Manufacturer: Deutsche Grammophon
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Quartets | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music

Deutsche Grammophon: Music | Specialty Stores | Music
Similar Items:

Franz Schubert: String Quartets D 804 "Rosamunde", D 810 "Death and the Maiden", D 887, D 703 and String Quintet D 956
Bach: The Art of Fugue
Intimate Voices
Beethoven: The String Quartets
Mendelssohn: The Complete String Quartets / Emerson String Quartet

ASIN: B00005OKSH
Release Date: 2001-09-18

Tracks:

String Quartet in F minor, op. 20 no. 5: Allegro moderato
String Quartet in F minor, op. 20 no. 5: Menuetto
String Quartet in F minor, op. 20 no. 5: Adagio
String Quartet in F minor, op. 20 no. 5: Finale: Fuga a due soggetti
String Quartet in E flar major, op. 33 no. 2: Allegro moderato, cantabile
String Quartet in E flar major, op. 33 no. 2: Scherzo: Allegro
String Quartet in E flar major, op. 33 no. 2: Largo sostenuto
String Quartet in E flar major, op. 33 no. 2: Finale: Presto
String Quartet in G major, op. 54 no. 1: Allegro con brio
String Quartet in G major, op. 54 no. 1: Allegretto
String Quartet in G major, op. 54 no. 1: Menuetto: Allegretto
String Quartet in G major, op. 54 no. 1: Finale: Presto
String Quartet in D major, op. 64 no. 5: Allaegro moderato
String Quartet in D major, op. 64 no. 5: Adagio cantabile
String Quartet in D major, op. 64 no. 5: Menuetto: Allegretto
String Quartet in D major, op. 64 no. 5: Finale: Vivace

Tracks:

String Quartet in G minor, op. 74 no. 3: Allegro
String Quartet in G minor, op. 74 no. 3: Largo assai
String Quartet in G minor, op. 74 no. 3: Menuet: Allegretto
String Quartet in G minor, op. 74 no. 3: Finale: Allegro con brio
String Quartet in D minor, op. 76 no. 2: Allegro
String Quartet in D minor, op. 76 no. 2: Andante o piu tosto allegretto
String Quartet in D minor, op. 76 no. 2: Menuetto: Allegro ma non troppo
String Quartet in D minor, op. 76 no. 2: Finale: Vivace assai
String Quartet in G major, op. 77 no. 1: Allegro moderato
String Quartet in G major, op. 77 no. 1: Adagio
String Quartet in G major, op. 77 no. 1: Menuetto: Presto
String Quartet in G major, op. 77 no. 1: Finale: Presto

Amazon.com

To celebrate its 25th anniversary, the Emerson Quartet has made its first all-Haydn recording, featuring seven of his most famous quartets on two CDs. Presented chronologically, the program is arranged for utmost contrast of tonality, atmosphere, and character. The prevailing mood is joyous, as befits the occasion, though three quartets are in minor keys. The opening work, Op. 20, No. 5, is dark, brooding, and achingly beautiful. Its inner tension is released in passionate climaxes, its slow movement is serenely pastoral, its finale a double fugue. This is followed by Op. 33, No. 2, nicknamed "The Joke" for its finale, whose coda is punctuated by several "fake" endings: general pauses of increasing length designed to tempt the audience into premature applause. To make its full effect, this "joke" depends on watching the players sit in frozen silence. Also in minor are the dramatic Op. 76, No. 2, nicknamed "Fifths" for its opening theme, which contains the famous "Witches' Minuet," a fierce two-part canon between the upper and lower instruments, and Op. 74, No. 3, nicknamed "The Rider" for its galloping finale. Op. 64, No. 5, is called "The Lark" for its soaring beginning; the finale is a brilliant perpetual motion marathon. Op. 54, No. 1, and Op. 77, No. 1, radiate good cheer and sunshine. The Emerson, whose violinists alternate, plays all this with its customary meticulousness, polish, and ease. Some of the fast movements are surprisingly leisurely, and at times one could wish for more inwardness or abandon. A third, bonus disc taken from earlier Emerson recordings contains movements of eight quartets, from Mozart to Ives. --Edith Eisler

Customer Reviews:

Perfection at its Very Worst.......2005-01-09

If I rate this album with one star, it is to say something relative to other recordings and to the standard to which I hold the Emerson Quartet. In Haydn, where wit, joy, humor and vivaciousness are more important than in any other composer (?), the Emerson's polish works so incredibly against the works, that I cannot but dissuade a potential explorer of Haydn most urgently from getting this recording.

Upon first hearing it will sound fine enough... technically it is perfect, the sound is fine... but it will reveal itself (immediately in comparison - or else over time) as tedious, meticulous and missing the point. The Lindsay's give these quartets all the gusto they need... sadly, they are seldomly in tune. With the Quatour Mosaiques you might get the finest accounts available (historical instruments or not), and the Kodaly Quartet on Naxos is a budget option that deserves your ears and trust.

If a listener wants to experience the Emerson String Quartet at their best, late Beethoven, Shostakovich, Webern et al. offer far better opportunities than Haydn (and Schubert).

3 DISCS ACTUALLY.......2004-11-16

The third is a set of individual movements by Mozart, Schubert, Dvorak, Bartok, Ives, Shostakovich, Webern and finally a sizzling performance of the fugue from Beethoven's third Rasumovsky. It's brilliant, so I don't know why they are being so coy about it.

The first thing that I commend strongly about this set of 7 Haydn quartets is the actual selection. They range in order of composition from one of the op 20's to the great op77 #1, and 3 of the 7 are in minor keys. I get a definitely serious feel to the Emersons' approach to all 7. Op 33 #2 'The Joke' is included, and for once the jokiness at the end is downplayed, to my great relief. Another aspect that interested me was the fairly moderate speeds they take in the finales to the first 4 numbers, getting distinctly livelier in the last 3. I find this extremely convincing -- the music in the earlier finales is slighter than in the later ones and to my ears it benefits from not being rushed. What I would have liked to find out from the liner notes is whether that, or something else entirely, was the Emersons' thinking, but the remarks are to a familiar pattern -- useful and informative background information, very little about the performances, and rather gushy 'chatty-learned' stuff on the music.

I would describe this as a really distinguished set. It ought to suit experienced listeners in search of new insights, and for new(er)comers the format has been quite brilliantly devised as an introduction to the string quartet repertory presenting the father of the genre in depth followed by glimpses of what his successors did with the heritage he left them. Recorded quality also excellent.

String Quartet Delight.......2002-01-16

This tribute to Haydn is spectacular. Their playing is impeccable, with fine definition and movement. I especially enjoy their offering of Opus 33, The Joke. It is light and playful and bounces with liltiness.

This is truly refreshing music to listen to. The bonus CD of works by Mozart, Shostakovich, Dvorak, et al is wonderful as well. This finales in Beethoven's op. 59 for String Quartet.
Magnificent!

Thanks Emerson for 25, may 25 more be yours and your fans!

haydn, haydn, haydn.......2001-11-19

I heard this recording on the classical station that I listen to.
I now have the CD's in my car and my son and I (he's 8) absolutely love this recording. It is so wonderful we feel like we are seeing the quartet in person. Bravo, Bravo. We will be giving this one as gifts for the Holidays.

Simply marvelous...........2001-10-30

I have grown old with the Emerson; they recently celebrated their twenty-fifth season with the Stanford University Lively Arts, and I have not missed one of those performances. This year they played four of the quartets from their Haydn Project. The audience was as thrilled as any listener of these CDs will be.

In addition to their extraordinary performance, the Emerson have chosen seven of Haydn's most delightful quartets, bound to rekindle the excitement of knowledgeable music lovers and to entice new listeners. The liner notes provide an introduction not only to Haydn but also to the string quartet as a form. I cannot think of a better introduction: for one who wants to learn but is timid, here is where to begin.

Customer Reviews:

One of the best of the Masterworks series.......2007-07-06

Brilliant Classics' "Masterworks" series, if you can get them cheaply (and currently they go for about $1/CD from Amazon's France Web site), are a great way to amass a significant library of the works of several great computers. The production values and the performances themselves are uneven, and the interpretations are not always historically-informed (unlike the bulk of Brilliant's "Complete Editions" of the works of Bach and Mozart). But there are numerous gems in the rough in The Masterworks, and the economic value is unsurpassed, even if you were to throw away half of the CDs in each set.

You're unlikely to throw away much of this Schubert collection though. This seems to be the finest of the Masterworks sets, with a succession of solid, often first-rate performances of most of the major Schubert works. Here's what you get:

- The symphonies, performed by The Hanover Band in a historically-informed style. Very interesting performances perhaps marred by an odd recording balance that makes the woodwinds sound distant. Takes up four CDs
- The six Latin masses. Also the Deutsche Messe in the version with wind instruments. Five CDs in all
- Edison Denisov's completion of Schubert's unfinished dramatic work Lazarus (2 CDs, Helmuth Rilling's premier recording)
- The last four string quartets (including the Quartettsatz) with #9 thrown in. Also the octet, piano quintet ("The Trout"), string quintet and both piano trios. In short all the canonical chamber works. Performances are strong, and well recorded
- Two CDs of violin/piano duets, including Op. 137 and Op. 162
- 19 of the 21 "canonical" piano sonatas (missing #7 and #12) as well as the Moments Musicaux, Impromptus, German Dances, Wanderer Fantasy and several other piano works, 11 CDs in all. As with the chamber music, the performances and recordings are strong, often stunning
- Two CDs of piano duets, including the Divertissements and D. 617
- Song cycles: Die Schöne Müllerin, Winterreise, Schwanengesang, and four CDs of standalone songs, including such "standards" as Erlkönig and Gretchen am Spinnrade. The singers are a bit uneven here, ranging from standouts Robert Holl, Deitrich Fischer-Dieskau and John Shirley-Quirk to the somewhat shrill Arleen Augér

Missing from the collection is Rosamunde, and a number of famous songs: Die Forelle (The Trout), Death and the Maiden, Ellens Gesang III (the so-called Ave Maria, D. 839), Der Hirt auf dem Felsen and Der Wanderer. But you do have almost all the important instrumental works, and most of the vocal works generally considered to be essential, with some padding added in the form of minor works such as the parochial Deutsche Messe, the German Dances, and the modernist-informed completion of Lazarus by the 20th Century Russian composer Denisov.

As with the other Masterworks sets, there are no program notes. You'll need to do your own research. Answers.com is a good starting point for Schubert compositions. There are also no song texts or translations provided, so again you'll need to track down your own. Try "The Lied and Art Song Texts Page" for lieder lyrics and translations. Hunt down a good price on this collection, browsing one of Amazon's European sites if necessary, and treat yourself to many hours of lovely music for the cost of a modest night out.

Will not buy this.......2007-03-16

I can't see D965 or D945 on this 40 disks worth of Schubert. Bizarre! There are so many great songs missing it scares me.

Worth it!.......2006-12-19

One of the best in "The Masterpices" series. Many of the discs (the symphonies in particular) were licensed from Nimbus and other full-line labels. Not all that long ago these discs would have set you back $18 to $20 a piece. That said, I still wouldn't part with my Hyperion collection. 40 CD's at this price... you can't go wrong.

Great way to jumpstart a schubert collection.......2006-12-19

Hartmut Holl, Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, Stephanie Brown, and Jaime Laredo as well as the Stuttgart Bach Collegium performing Schubert are hardly "left-behind artists and ensembles" as the previous naysayer states. These are licensed from major label releases and from the original masters issued at a bargain price, especially for the number of discs you get. Sound quality ranges from good to excellent. Good for all Schubertians and anyone who wants to jumpstart a Schubert collection.

Better to Pick a Few First-rate Performances.......2006-11-14

This is a bargain in dollar/listening time ratio, but who cares? There are many second-rate performances by left-behind artists and ensembles. Obviously the economics of resurrecting disks that don't require royalties has been the driving factor of selection. (On the other hand, the complete edition boxed sets of Bach and Mozart, which you'll find if you look, are stupendous successes artistically.)

Average customer rating:

I love this cd!
As good as it gets
Good Value, But Hardly the Best Recording
Flawed "Death and the Maiden"
Legendary Italians

Schubert: The Last Four Quartets
Franco Rossi , Franz Schubert , Piero Farulli , Elisa Pegreffi , Paolo Borciani , and Quartetto Italiano
Manufacturer: Philips
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Quartets | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music
Similar Items:

Franz Schubert: Complete Trios
Haydn: String Quartets, Op. 71, Nos. 1-3 "Apponyi Quartets"
Schubert - String Quintet in C / Alban Berg Quartet · Schiff
Dvorák: String Quartets Opp. 96 "American" and 106
Haydn: String Quartets, Op. 76, Nos. 4, 5 and 6

ASIN: B0000041BX
Release Date: 1995-04-11

Tracks:

String Quartet No. 14 In D Minor, D. 810 'Death And The Maiden': 1. Allegro
String Quartet No. 14 In D Minor, D. 810 'Death And The Maiden': 2. Andante con moto
String Quartet No. 14 In D Minor, D. 810 'Death And The Maiden': 3. Scherzo. Allegro molto
String Quartet No. 14 In D Minor, D. 810 'Death And The Maiden': 4. Presto
String Quartet No. 13 In A Minor, D. 804 'Rosamunde': 1. Allegro ma non troppo
String Quartet No. 13 In A Minor, D. 804 'Rosamunde': 2. Andante
String Quartet No. 13 In A Minor, D. 804 'Rosamunde': 3. Menuetto
String Quartet No. 13 In A Minor, D. 804 'Rosamunde': 4. Allegro moderato

Tracks:

String Quartet No. 15 In G, D. 887: 1. Allegro molto moderato
String Quartet No. 15 In G, D. 887: 2. Andante un poco moto
String Quartet No. 15 In G, D. 887: 3. Scherzo. Allegro vivace
String Quartet No. 15 In G, D. 887: 4. Allegro Assai
String Quartet No. 12 In C Minor, D. 703 'Quartettsatz': 1. Allegro assai

Amazon.com

Few quartets match this legendary Italian ensemble for tonal sheen and refinement. The ensemble imbues the famous variations movement of "Death and the Maiden" with a kind of choked inwardness that never dematerializes into bathos. One might wish the players to allow Schubert's extroverted moments their giddy head, rather than reigning things in. The group embarks upon the composer's other-worldly G Major Quartet with quiet, trembling tread, making you work with them as they divine the music's visionary beauties and dark truths. Listen to this performance in a quiet space, with the lights out. --Jed Distler

Customer Reviews:

I love this cd!.......2007-02-16

How can people give this less than 4 stars!? The performance by the Quartetto Italiano is great. Very confident and powerful playing. If you like "in your face" recordings you will like this. Very close miked and "hot" sound. Clearly played and wonderfully recorded. There may be better individual recordings, but as a set of four this is a stone cold bargain. I would highly recommend this cd.

As good as it gets.......2007-02-11

I had not come across the Quartetto Italiano before which is not so surprising as these recordings were made 30 - 40 years ago. However it is a great delight to find them as their playing delightfully taut and energetic. Maybe the tempo is a little slower than expected in the Andante of the G major quartet but it still brings out some wonderful highlights.
It would be surprising to find a btter recording anywhere.
Phil Rowe

Good Value, But Hardly the Best Recording.......2005-09-02

When I like a body of work by a composer, I collect many different recordings. For me, Schubert's late string quartets are perfect. I own several versions including the Melos Quartet and the Auryn Quartet. This Philips recording is a recent addition, and while it is a fair value, the sound is mediocre and the interpretation is irritating to me(every movement is slow, slow, slow).

Try to find a copy of the Auryn Quartet if you can. The recordings are magnificent and the music is perfect.

Flawed "Death and the Maiden".......2005-06-03

I am surprised that Alan Lekan ("Legendary Italians" 5/31/05) is the only reviewer to comment on the "booming" or thumping sound that appears throughout quartet number 14 regardless of the quality of playback equipment. Although the performances are outstanding Philips should never have released this recording, or at least not without a warning. Recommended purchase only to those who have other versions of #14.

Legendary Italians.......2005-05-31

The great composer Franz Schubert is often talked about as a "late bloomer," referring to how his last compositions emerged with great maturity, emotional complexity and consumate skill. These last four quartets are part of this final, masterful phase of Schubert's short life as a composer and should be in every chamber-music collector's shelf.

Among the finest performances of these great quartets stands the recordings here from the legendary Quartetto Italiano - one of the top quartets in the 60's and 70's. The Quartetto Italiano really have a nack for penetrating the depths of such emotive works as #14 or #15 and bring out the intended drama and pathos within. Their powerful reading of the great, last quartet in G (#15) is especially noted by many major reviewers as one of the finest recordings of this complex masterpiece. The first movement in particular is epic in scale (lasting some 25 minutes) and exudes a powerful, anguished emotional mood which the Italianos bring out with tremedous depth and passion that can send chills down your spine. In all, their playing is of the highest caliber and just sounds superb in terms of synchonicity, intonation and phrasing. Their unison within cresendos is impeccable as was their ability to create sonorities on a "symphonic scale."

However, I found one quirky sonic flaw throughout the entire "Death and the Maiden" and other quartets when listening with headphones: there was an intermittent and jarring "booming" sound that is quite distracting. It is probably not be an issue without headphones, but be forewarned nevertheless. Overall, the sound quality is very good but not perfect given the transfer to CD from the 1960's analog tapes. There is not quite the depth and realism of more modern recordings in general, but this should not discourage purchase for most.

Other quartets to consider for these works are the Guarnari Quartet and, in some works, the Emersons - although the Emerson's style is more "direct" and less "old world graceful" like the Alban Berg's or lyrically soaring like the Quartetto Italiano's overall sound. The Quatuor Mosaiques also recorded a powerful reading of the Rosamunde quartet and others that ranks with the best. All-in-all, I would say the Italianos is of the finest SETS of Schubert's greatest (last) quartets - although some individual quartets may be better represented by other ensembles. When I hear music of this stature, it reminds me how unfortunate it was for Schubert that his enormous talent and output was not recognized and valued in his day. And these last quartets are only a small part of that heritage.