Bruckner's String Quintet in F major was composed in response to a 17-year-old request from Joseph Hellmesberger, a famous quartet leader, for a piece for his ensemble.
Recording & Production
This recording was made possible by generous sponsorship from the Bruckner Journal (UK) and the Bruckner Society of America, along with individual donations.
Compositional Technique
Bruckner insisted on an extra viola for his String Quintet, allowing him to capture the glowing sonorities of a symphony orchestra in a miniature chamber setting.
Album & Artwork
The album cover features the painting 'Pinkscape' by Lee Campbell, chosen to reflect the sense of unraveling space and time in Bruckner's music.
Performer Biography
The Fitzwilliam String Quartet gained international recognition through their friendship with Dmitri Shostakovich and were the first group to perform and record all fifteen of his string quartets.
Composer Biography
Anton Bruckner, despite his exceptional intellect and originality, suffered from a debilitating loss of self-belief in his later years, partly due to criticism of his Eighth Symphony.
Interpretation
The performers on this album use gut strings, hand-wound copies of those used in Vienna during the 1870s, which are tougher and thicker than modern strings.
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