Schubert: String Quintet, Quartet in G, Quartet in D minor

Featuring

Corina Belcea-Fisher
Laura Samuel
Krzysztof Chorzelski
Antoine Lederlin
Valentin Erben
Belcea Quartet

Franz Schubert

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Composer's Artistic Vision

Despite his unassuming demeanor, Schubert was determined to establish himself as a composer of large-scale instrumental works, following the tradition of Haydn, Mozart, and Beethoven.

Cultural Impact

The luminous opening of the Adagio in Schubert's String Quintet was the music that writer Thomas Mann most desired to hear on his deathbed.

Composer Biography

Schubert's reputation in the mid-1820s was primarily based on his songs, part-songs, and piano miniatures, which were easily marketable to amateur musicians.

Composition History

Schubert composed two magnificent string quartets, including 'Death and the Maiden,' in 1824 as preparation for a 'grand symphony.'

Compositional Technique

Schubert's String Quintet in C, his last visionary chamber work, adds a second cello to the quartet texture, creating a richer and more powerful sonority.

Compositional Technique

The 'Death and the Maiden' Quartet is notable for its saturation in the minor mode and its focus on the 'awesome cumulative power of rhythm,' particularly the opening triplet figure.