Schubert completed the A minor and D minor ('Death and the Maiden') string quartets in February/March 1824.
Recording & Production
This recording was funded by family members and close friends of Bastien and Zerine Gomperts as a memorial to them, as they were major supporters of the Fitzwilliam String Quartet since 1992.
Composer Biography
In March 1824, Schubert wrote to his friend Leopold Kupelwieser, expressing a gloomy and despairing tone, quoting Goethe: 'My peace is gone, my heart is heavy; never, never again will I find rest'.
Composer's Artistic Vision
Schubert's later quartets, like the D minor, often strike listeners as symphonic in their gestures, reflecting his aspiration to write a 'grosse Symphonie'.
Performer Biography
The Fitzwilliam String Quartet, founded in 1968, is one of the longest established string quartets in the world and was the first group to record and perform all fifteen Shostakovich string quartets.
Interpretation
The Fitzwilliam String Quartet performs these Schubert works on period instruments with gut strings, aiming for a historically informed sound.
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