Atma: ACD22346

The “Trout” Quintet for piano and strings in A major is certainly one of the best-known works of Schubert, indeed of the entire chamber-music repertoire. The Trout in the title refers to the work’s fourth movement, which is a series of variations on the eponymous lied. The Quintet is written for an unusual combination that—like Hummel’s E-flat major Quintet—sees the string quartet’s second violin replaced by a double-bass. The Chamber Players of Canada also perform the Adagio and Rondo Concertante in F major, D 487, a pure example of “Hausmusik” (music for the home) destined to enliven an evening with friends or family.