Franz Schubert: Quartet, D. 810 "Death and the Maiden", Sonata Arpeggione, D. 821

Featuring

Pavel Hůla
Petr Bernášek
Michal Kaňka
Praga Camerata
Franz Schubert

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Notable Performances

The first complete performance of Mahler's string orchestra arrangement of Schubert's 'Death and the Maiden' Quartet took place in 1984 at Carnegie Hall, New York, conducted by Moshe Atzmon.

Composition History

Gustav Mahler's arrangement of Schubert's 'Death and the Maiden' Quartet for string orchestra was reconstructed from pencil annotations found in his daughter Anna Mahler's copy of Schubert's quartets.

Composer's Artistic Vision

Gustav Mahler believed that Schubert's 'Death and the Maiden' Quartet and Beethoven's Opus 95 lacked fullness, and only expanding them to string orchestra could give them their full power and profound life.

Performer Biography

Michal Kaňka, the cellist on this recording, plays an instrument made in 1777 by Paulus Castello of Genoa.

Interpretation

Michal Kaňka's version of the 'Arpeggione' Sonata for cello and string orchestra aims for a concertante and da camera approach, highlighting the cello's pure, timeless melody.

Composition History

Schubert composed his only work for the arpeggione, the 'Arpeggione' Sonata, in 1824 for the eminent performer Vincenz Schuster, who also published a tutor for the instrument.

Instruments

The arpeggione, for which Schubert's 'Arpeggione' Sonata was written, was a six-stringed instrument invented in 1823 by Johann Georg Stauffer, tuned like a guitar but played with a bow like a viola da gamba.