Schubert: Complete String Quartets, Vol. 5

On this CD:

1. String Quartet No. 10 in E flat major, D. 87 (Op. 125/1)
Composed by Franz Schubert
Performed by Ivo Bauer, Tilman Buning, Leipzig String Quartet, Matthias Moosdorf, Andreas Seidel

2. String Quartet in C minor (one movement: Grave & Allegro), D. 103
Composed by Franz Schubert
Performed by Ivo Bauer, Tilman Buning, Leipzig String Quartet, Matthias Moosdorf, Andreas Seidel

3. String Quartet No. 6 in D major, D. 74
Composed by Franz Schubert
Performed by Ivo Bauer, Tilman Buning, Leipzig String Quartet, Matthias Moosdorf, Andreas Seidel

Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
This disc is not part of your basic chamber music Top 100 collection. Both of these string quartets were written when Schubert was 16 years old, although D. 87 was long thought to be a later work until a dated partial manuscript turned up. So these aren't the heartrending, deeply emotional works of Schubert's last years. They are, though, amazingly personal works for such a young composer, each one fully worthy of a place on a concert program. This series by the Leipzig String Quartet has been consistently excellent, and these are the best recordings of either work I've heard. Fine sound, too. --Leslie Gerber

Schubert: Complete String Quartets, Vol. 5, Music, Matthias Moosdorf, Franz Schubert, Leipziger Streichquartett, Ivo Bauer, Andreas Seidel, Tilman Buning, Chamber, Chamber Music & Recitals, Classical, Classical Composers, Quartet for Four String Instruments

Schubert Complete String Quartets Vol. 6: Quartet No. 15 (1826); Five German Dances with seven trios and a coda, D. 9
Average customer rating:

Often expressive and dramatic, at times a little plodding and not too concerned with architectural coherence

A Fine Budget Version of Schubert's Last String Quartet

A Beautiful Conclusion to This Series

Schubert Complete String Quartets Vol. 6: Quartet No. 15 (1826); Five German Dances with seven trios and a coda, D. 9

Manufacturer: Naxos
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Quartets | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music
General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music
All Works by Schubert | Schubert, Franz | ( S ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music
Chamber Music | Forms & Genres | Classical (c.1770-1830) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music
General | Classical | Styles | Music
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Schubert: Complete Quartets, Vol. 5

ASIN: B0009JMEHY
Release Date: 2005-06-21

Tracks:

Allegro Molto Moderato
Andante Un Poco Moto
Scherzo: Allegro Vivace
Allegro Assai
No.1 In C Major
No.2 In G Major
No.3 In D Major
No.4 In F Major
No.5 In C Major

Customer Reviews:

Often expressive and dramatic, at times a little plodding and not too concerned with architectural coherence.......2006-08-14

In the 6th volume of its complete traversal of Schubert's compositions for string quartet on Naxos, the Kodaly Quartet brings together the great quartet opus 161, one of the last works of Schubert's desperately short life and one of his most poignant compositions, and an early rarity, written when he was 16, the 5 German Dances D. 90. The latter is written in a typically "gallant" style, with no great depth but full of charm. But the big nut on this CD is of course the 15th quartet.

In the first movement "Allegro molto moderato", the Kodaly Quartet is quite dramatic, very attentive to the movement diverse moods, from harrowing vehemence to hushed mystery, and nicely retains the dance-like lilt of the second theme; there is a price to pay, however, in the multiplication of tempo transitions, none of them prescribed by Schubert ; one senses musicians interested in immediate dramatic impact rather than architectural coherence. The second movement "Andante un poco moto" is taken by the Kodaly quartet at a very deliberate, not very "motorized" tempo (almost as slow as the Quartetto Italiano in their recording from 1976), making it sound more like an adagio in plaintive tone, almost a funeral march, with accents that evoke not so much cries of revolt or pain as moans; the approach is effective in its own way, but it is not exactly what Schubert wrote. And here again, in the more animated passages, the Kodalys do not hesitate to perceptibly accelerate tempo; Quartetto Italiano was more consistent in that respect.

Under the Kodaly's bows, the Scherzo's "Allegro vivace" (3rd movement) is not particularly vivacious, but nonetheless sufficiently light and full of bounce, as befits this musical invention which suggests the bumblebee's flight or the butterfly's flutter (and the elve's dance will do, too). The middle trio however is rather mawkish, and again the Kodalys imperceptibly speed up their tempo in the second part. Their Finale is somewhat disappointing, due to a tempo that is too deliberate to evoke the race to the abyss that others conjure (Gidon Kremer and friends on Sony take as much time to get through the movement - but with the repeat) and, while the ensemble's tone production until then had been not exceptional but unexceptionable, the 1st violin becomes a bit sour in its upper registers.

Not an exceptional version then, but at that price one that remains very acceptable.

A Fine Budget Version of Schubert's Last String Quartet.......2005-06-25

Schubert's 15th and last string quartet is one of his most important works. It was written between the 20th and the 30th of June 1826 (Schubert died in 1828, when he was only 31 years old). This quartet is an incredibly masterful display of emotional depth, extraordinary harmonic progressions, and sheer rhythmic impetus.

The first movement opens in a very direct fashion - it lacks the usual formal introduction. There are some ethereal soft echo effects here from the cello, accompanied by tremolos in the upper strings. Schubert knew he was dying at the time he wrote this music, and it is a very moving mixture of defiance, anguish and resignation. The second movement is a songful and serene night piece that is disturbed by two violent outbursts. Again the cello plays a very important part here, introducing the first plaintive motif and repeating the songful theme after each outburst. The scherzo, which is based on a quavering figure that is interspersed with some short spiccato themes, has been likened to a dance of elves. The finale was once described by writer J. A. Westrup as "a mad rondo, violent in rhythm and wild in harmony." Abrupt alternations between major and minor lead to some very unexpected harmonic progressions - this is Schubert at his most creative and audacious.

This budget stereo Naxos recording by the Kodaly Quartet concludes its survey of Schubert's string quartets. I feel this is the finest single-disc stereo version, and the inclusion of the lovely German Dances as a filler makes this CD a most attractive purchase. I certainly prefer the warm, mellow playing here by the Kodaly to the brash and rather hard-boiled Sony CD account by the Juilliard Quartet (I absolutely love the latter's Bartok & Schoenberg recordings, but they tend to be too assertive in Schubert). Likewise, I think the Kodaly's account is far better than the Lindsay Quartet's (ASV), which has some dreadfully out of tune playing (I have weeded both the Juilliard and the Lindsay recordings).

To my ears, the main stereo competition here is the extremely polished Quartetto Italiano (available in an inexpensive Philips "two-fer" of Schubert's four last quartets). While I prefer the latter, I'm also keeping the Kodaly (the German Dances, while brief, are pretty indispensable). If memory serves, an orchestrated version of the first Dance was used in a highly-effective way with other Schubert works (especially the Piano Trio #1) in Stanley Kubrick's brilliant film "Barry Lyndon."

However, this Vol. 6 of the Kodaly Quartet's Schubert is the only one in their series that I will be keeping. That's not to say that the series is in any way unattractive. But Schubert's first seven quartets are fairly early, immature works, and I can't see owning multiple versions of them. And there are simply better versions of the later quartets. All 15 quartets were once available on mono Westminster LPs from the early 1950's (in excellent sound). These were performed by the wonderful Vienna Konzerthaus Quartet (Kamper, Titze, Weiss and Kvarda), all of whose members were players in the Vienna Philharmonic under conductor Wilhelm Furtwangler. This remains my "desert island" version of the complete quartets (they have been issued on CDs in Japan on the MCA label).

The great Busch String Quartet (Adolf Busch, Gosta Andreassen, Karl Doktor, and Hermann Busch) recorded the "ne plus ultra" account of #8, a superb #14 (unfortunately, due to 78 rpm constraints, the latter is shorn of all the repeats), and #15. These are available, along with the Fantasie in C (Busch & Serkin) and the Piano Trio #1, on a Pearl CD set.

My personal favorites in the last three Schubert quartets:

#13. The Vienna Konzerthaus captures like no other ensemble the intensely Brucknerian span of this gorgeous work.

#14. In chronological order, my all-time favorites of this stunning masterpiece are the ORIGINAL 1927 Budapest Quartet (Emil Hauser, Joseph Roisman, Istvan Ipolyi, and Harry Son) on a hard to find Novello CD; the 1927/28 Capet Quartet (a reading of extraordinary spiritual purity on Biddulph); the heartbreakingly beautiful 1936 Busch Quartet (Pearl); the c. 1950 Vienna Konzerthaus (a uniquely warm and gemutlich account on Westminster LP and Japanese MCA CD); and the gloriously well-played c.1951 Hollywood Quartet (mine is on a Capitol LP).

#15. The Busch and the Vienna Konzerthaus are both supremely eloquent here, but my ultimate allegiance is to the latter's inimitable warmth and lyricism.

All of those versions are, of course, in monophonic sound. For a single CD version of #15 in good stereo sound, I feel this effort by the Kodaly Quartet is clearly the one to own.

Jeff Lipscomb

A Beautiful Conclusion to This Series.......2005-06-25

The Kodály Quartet has been slowly recording all of Schubert's string quartets and with this Volume 6 we come to the end. The CD contains Schubert's last finished quartet, No. 15 in G Major, D. 887, Op. 161, and the disc is filled out by Five German Dances, D. 90. The Kodály Quartet has more or less become the Naxos label's house quartet, having recorded large chunks of the central quartet literature for them. This is good, because not only are they a wonderful quartet, they are non-interventionist without being bland. String quartet playing is hard work and requires much slow, thoughtful study on the part of the players. It is to the Kodály's credit that they have taken a slow and steady course through the Schubert quartets, some of which they surely had never played before; the early apprentice works in particular are almost never played and yet the Kodály played them not only with musicianly respect but with love and admiration.

When we get to Schubert's last quartet, though, we have an undisputed masterpiece that every quartet worthy of the name plays. Its opening movement is one of the most marvelous (and harmonically complicated) works he ever composed. It takes fifteen minutes to play and works its magic in subtle ways. For instance, when it comes time for the recapitulation the first theme is changed from minor to major, and the second from major to minor. Had anyone ever thought to do that before? The minor key cello theme that opens the Andante is one of Schubert's patented melodies; it almost tears your heart out with its gentle pathos. In the Scherzo we are in familiar elfin Schubertian territory that evolves into ländlerisch folk dance rhythms in the Trio, gentle, not turbulent. And this prepares us for the high spirits of the Finale, a rowdy tarantella. The Kodály play this quartet with a maximum of relish, a minimum of gratuitous edge. They make this complex quartet what it is really meant to be, a thoroughly comprehensible compendium of 1826 quartet writing, easy on the ear and rewarding for the analytic mind. This is a beautiful performance worthy to stand beside any of the earlier treasured recordings (Busch, Alban Berg, Quartetto Italiano) this marvelous quartet has been afforded.

The disc is rounded out by five German Dances written when Schubert was sixteen. They are notable for their rough good humor. No. 4 lasts a mere 50 seconds but is infectious enough to have this listener up and stomping his feet in an enthusiastic approximation of dancing. The Kodály's approach is, fittingly, more rough and ready in these pieces than in the subtleties of the 15th Quartet, evidence that they are really entering into the spirit of the music itself rather than applying a one-size-fits-all approach.

Although with a timing of only 59+ minutes, this CD is heartily recommended for its marvelous musicmaking.

Scott Morrison

Average customer rating:

This Worthwhile Series Continues

Schubert: Complete Quartets, Vol. 5

Manufacturer: Naxos
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Quartets | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

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Schubert Complete String Quartets Vol. 6: Quartet No. 15 (1826); Five German Dances with seven trios and a coda, D. 9

ASIN: B00009WQUG
Release Date: 2003-08-19

Tracks:

Allegro Ma Non Troppo
Andante
Menuetto: Allegro
Allegro
Allegro Con Fuoco
Andante
Menuetto: Allegro Vivace
Rondo: Allegro Vivace
Presto
Andante
Menuetto: Allegro
Allegro Con Spirito

Customer Reviews:

This Worthwhile Series Continues.......2003-09-29

Naxos's house quartet, the Kodály Quartet, seems to be recording everything ever written for string quartet. They've already recorded the complete Haydn, Beethoven, Debussy and Ravel quartets. And this is the fifth of six Schubert Quartet CDs to be released.

This disc contains early Schubert--Quartets 2 (1812), 6 (1813) and 11 (1816), all written when he was in his teens; he was born in 1797. Indeed the Second was written before chorister Schubert's voice had changed! They do not sound like echt Schubert--more like Mozart or sometimes even a little like Rossini. Still, they are clever imitations and certainly show us how talented Schubert was as a youngster. And what a hard worker he was.

There is not an awkward moment in any of these pieces, and indeed I can even imagine Mozart or Haydn might have been glad to claim them as their own. I particularly like the sprightly rondo finale of Quartet No. 11, the slow movement of No. 2 (a siciliano), and the courtly minuet of No. 6.

All are played with a passion and musicianly nuance by the Kodály Quartet who certainly do NOT sound like they are simply playing through what might have been discounted by some to be apprentice works. Frankly, I am happy to have the first five volumes--plus another containing the Quintet in C--and look forward obtaining the last in the series.

Naxos provides clear and lifelike sound.

Scott Morrison

Franz Schubert: Complete String Quartets, Vol. 4 - Quartet D.810 "Death & the Maiden" / Minuets & German Dances D.89 / Minuet D.86 - Leipzig String Quartet
Average customer rating:
Franz Schubert: Complete String Quartets, Vol. 4 - Quartet D.810 "Death & the Maiden" / Minuets & German Dances D.89 / Minuet D.86 - Leipzig String Quartet
Ivo Bauer , Tilman Buning , Matthias Moosdorf , Christian Ockert , Andreas Seidel , and Leipzig String Quartet
Manufacturer: MD&G Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Quartets | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music
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All Works by Schubert | Schubert, Franz | ( S ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music
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ASIN: B0000021F9
Release Date: 1996-09-24

Tracks:

Quartet D 810 'Der Tod und das Madchen' D Minor: Allegro
Quartet D 810 'Der Tod und das Madchen' D Minor: Andante con moto
Quartet D 810 'Der Tod und das Madchen' D Minor: 1. Scherzo. Allegro molto - 2. Trio - 3. Scherzo da capo
Quartet D 810 'Der Tod und das Madchen' D Minor: Presto
Menuett D 86, D Major
Menuette und Deutsche D 89: Menuett No. 1 - 2 Trio I - 3 Menuett da capo - 4 Trio II
Menuette und Deutsche D 89: Menuett No. 2
Menuette und Deutsche D 89: 1. Menuett No. 3 - 2. Trio I - 3. Menuett da capo - 4. Trio II - 5. Menuett da capo
Menuette und Deutsche D 89: Menuett No. 4
Menuette und Deutsche D 89: 1. Menuett No. 5 - 2. Trio I - 3. Menuett da capo - 4. Trio II - 5. Menuett da capo
Menuette und Deutsche D 89: 1. Deutscher No. 1 - 2. Trio I - 3. Deutscher da capo - 4. Trio II - 5. Deutscher da capo
Menuette und Deutsche D 89: 1. Deutscher No. 2 - 2. Trio I - 3. Deutscher da capo - 4. Trio II - 5. Deutscher da capo
Menuette und Deutsche D 89: 1. Deutscher No. 3 - 2. Trio I - 3. Deutscher da capo - 4. Trio II - 5. Deutscher da capo
Menuette und Deutsche D 89: Deutscher No. 4
Menuette und Deutsche D 89: 1. Deutscher No. 5 - 2. Trio I - 3. Deutscher da capo - 4. Trio II - 5. Deutscher da capo

Amazon.com

Although this fourth volume of the series is all music for strings by Schubert, it's still a highly unusual coupling. The Leipzig String Quartet follows its intensely dramatic, involving performance of Schubert's best-known String Quartet with a group of early dances, music that was probably intended to accompany actual dancing. It's disorienting to go from such stark tragedy to such blissful innocence. But the ensemble handles each aspect of Schubert's style with equal conviction, leaving us with two fine contrasting experiences. Incidentally, Death and the Maiden is the answer to a great classical music trivia question: What major 19th-century work has four movements all in minor keys? There can't be many others, if any. --Leslie Gerber

Average customer rating:

Complete String Quartets, Vol. 8

Manufacturer: MD&G Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B0000021FD
Release Date: 1997-10-21

Tracks:

Qt Movts in B flat, D 68: Allegro Maestoso
Qt Movts in B flat, D 68: Allegro
Qt in C, D 46: Adagio/Allegro Con Moto
Qt in C, D 46: Andante Con Moto
Qt in C, D 46: Menuetto: Allegro/Trio/Menuetto Da Capo
Qt in C, D 46: Finale. Allegro
Vier Komische Landler in D, D 354
Qt D 68: Allegro Maestoso (First Version)

Amazon.com

D. 68, written when Schubert was 16, is a curious piece. Its two movements are the first and last of a normal String Quartet and may not even belong together. The first movement starts out very conventionally, but Schubert's mature style and expressiveness crop up briefly in the development. The finale is very much like Haydn and almost as witty. D. 46, written about three months earlier, is a surprisingly excellent piece, maybe not as moving as late Schubert but astonishingly effective for teenage work. It's one of the great discoveries of this wonderful series, which continues to be convincingly performed throughout. The Comic Ländler, a brief set of dances for two violins, is thoroughly charming. --Leslie Gerber

Schubert: Complete String Quartets, Vol. 5

Average customer rating:

Schubert: Complete String Quartets, Vol. 5

Manufacturer: MD&G Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B0000021FA
Release Date: 1996-11-19

Tracks:

Qt D.87 in E Flat: Allegro Moderato
Qt D.87 in E Flat: Scherzo: 1. Prestissimo/2. Trio/3. Prestissimo Da Capo
Qt D.87 in E Flat: Adagio
Qt D.87 in E Flat: Allegro
Qt Movt (Fragment) D.103 in c: 1. Grave/2. Allegro
Qt D.74 in D: Allegro Ma Non Troppo
Qt D.74 in D: Andante
Qt D.74 in D: 1. Minuetto. Allegretto/2. Trio/3. Minuetto Da Capo
Qt D.74 in D: Allegro

Amazon.com

This disc is not part of your basic chamber music Top 100 collection. Both of these string quartets were written when Schubert was 16 years old, although D. 87 was long thought to be a later work until a dated partial manuscript turned up. So these aren't the heartrending, deeply emotional works of Schubert's last years. They are, though, amazingly personal works for such a young composer, each one fully worthy of a place on a concert program. This series by the Leipzig String Quartet has been consistently excellent, and these are the best recordings of either work I've heard. Fine sound, too. --Leslie Gerber

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