Search - Schubert, Greenhouse, Guarneri Quartet :: Franz Schubert: String Quintet in C Major, D. 956 (Op. 163)

This is a fabulous recording of a spectacular work

Craig Matteson | Ann Arbor, MI | 12/13/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This is a magnificent work. It is a reminder of where Schubert was going with his music when he died in 1828 just short of his thirty-first birthday. While I am a huge fan of all of Schubert's music and consider him one of the very greatest geniuses of music, this piece is one of his supreme creations. Its inventiveness, balance, fascinating construction, and beauty of melody and harmony is almost beyond description.



The first movement begins with the famous three chords that emphasize the chromatic neighbor and mixed modes that will be featured throughout this work. It also has that famous and gorgeous melody with the two cellos (later the viola substitutes for one). However, it is the way it comes about that makes it even more beautiful. And, frankly, it is one of those works in Schubert whose repeated portion must be taken because of the way it affects the context and balance of the rest of the piece. There is so much in this first movement that it could be the subject of a large article.



The second movement begins with beautiful hymn like harmonies with a slow obligato singing around it in snippets. The middle section is turbulent and aches in sharp contrast to the serene opening. The recapitulation is serene but the obligato is transformed by the figuration of the middle section.



The third movement reverses the construction of the second. The outer sections are bright and soaring. The middle section is the slow portion.



The last movement is an allegretto that seems so much more energetic and dance like than the tempo marking indicates. It is full of chromatic brightness that the energy of the piece seems to build. Again, the emphasis is on a paired melodic line that adds so much to the work. At the end it drives to a close emphasizing the chromatic upper half-step that has been emphasized in the work from its opening chords.



The Guarneri Quartet has earned its place in string quartet history. They have always had a robust, melodic, and full resonant sound in approaching their playing. And I love it. This is a fine performance of this work and I recommend it highly."