Schubert: String Quintet in C major, D956

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This version is exceptionally well recorded, with superb balance among the instruments...The players of the Arcanto Quartet, as well as the second cellist Olivier Marron, adopt an austere approach... — BBC Music Magazine, Christmas 2012, 4 out of 5 stars More…

Release Date: 28th Aug 2012
Catalogue No: HMC902106
Label: Harmonia Mundi
Length: 52 minutes

Schubert: String Quintet in C Major, Op. 163 D. 956

Work length52:37

Album only

Arcanto Quartett, Olivier Marron

I. Allegro ma non troppo

Track length19:27

Album only

II. Adagio

Track length13:35

$1.60

$2.60

$3.20

III. Scherzo (Presto) - Trio (Andante Sostenuto) - Scherzo da Capo

Track length10:19

$1.40

$1.95

$2.40

IV. Allegretto

Track length9:16

$1.20

$1.95

$2.40

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About

The process of creating a quintet by adding a cello to the standard string quartet is always an act of some significance, whether the composer is Boccherini, Onslow, or Schubert. This is particularly true of Schubert's Quintet op. posth. 163, for to the specific characteristics of an instrumental medium subtly weighted towards the bass it adds such mastery of form, so evident an orchestral element, such an overwhelming metaphysical dimension that it is now recognised as one of the supreme peaks of chamber music.

After trying out several different chamber combinations, Antje Weithaas, Daniel Sepec, Tabea Zimmermann and Jean-Guihen Queyras founded the Arcanto Quartet in 2002. The four musicians, who in addition to their musical affinities also share a close personal friendship, attracted the attention of the musical world right from their first concert in Stuttgart in 2004. Since then the quartet has performed at all the leading concert halls, including the Wigmore Hall in London. The group regularly plays quintet repertoire with the pianist Silke Avenhaus and the cellist Olivier Marron.

Reviews

Christmas 2012

This version is exceptionally well recorded, with superb balance among the instruments...The players of the Arcanto Quartet, as well as the second cellist Olivier Marron, adopt an austere approach to tone, using very little vibrato...the Arcanto score highly. What I missed was the abandon which is to be found in the very finest performances.

November 2012

Their sound is distinctively bright and takes the robust-but-sensitive approach that always makes them such appealing candidate for the performance of the cornerstones of chamber repertoire...However, the strongest recommendation for this disc...is the simple point that they manage to bring out the earlier Classical influences in the music that are often passed over in favour of soupy indulgence.

October 2012

This is a performance of the highest class, gripping you from the moment that four of the five players set bow to string at the outset … the overall impression is of extreme thoughtfulness … Comparisons seem pointless. Notwithstanding the countless versions of this piece, this is one for the gods.

12th August 2012

Listening to this intense, richly expressive account, you wonder again how superior spirits ever had the nerve to patronise Schubert’s quintet...The Arcanto and the cellist Olivier Marron — driven, passionate yet exceptional in clarity of texture — realise the work’s combination of danger and yearning, of desperation and dreamlike beauty, to an inspiring degree.

2nd September 2012

Can the market bear another recording of a work so popular as to be almost hackneyed? Yes, when the playing has the detail, the muscularity, the daring and sparkle displayed here. Tempi are brisk but not rushed; vibrato is kept under tight rein and the slow movement sings tenderly rather than sobs, making it all the more expressive. The outer movements shine in perfect but vigorous ensemble.

November/December 2012

An account that brinds out the depths of light and shade in Schubert’s masterpiece … Throughout, the intonation is impeccable and, thanks also to excellent sound quality, this newcomer can be strongly recommended.

Schubert: String Quintet in C major, D956

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