Search - Franco Rossi, Franz Schubert, Piero Farulli :: Schubert: The Last Four Quartets

Introspective, Poignant, Passionate

James T. Heeney | Montclair, NJ United States | 04/15/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

""Death and the Maiden," surely Schubert's best known string quartet, is here interpreted masterfully by the famous Quartetto Italiano. Equally delightful are the three companion pieces included in this bargain 2-CD set. Here, most eloquently, one hears spoken the glorious but melancholy vision of a genius on the brink of death at the age of only thirty-one. If Beethoven bridged the classical and romantic periods, Schubert, his most ardent follower, must rank as the quintessential representative of German romanticism in music. These quartets exude a freshness, a liberation of emotion born of a breaking free of the strictures of formalism without the sentimentality or melodrama of Franck, Schumann or Listz.Do not be put off by the age of these recordings (the earliest dates to 1966). The Philips engineers did an admirable job with the digital remastering; the result is a seamless package clear in tone with resonant warmth. I highly recommend the entire Philips Classics series for intelligence in compilation, quality of recording, excellence in musicianship, and affordability in price."

Legendary Italians

Alan Lekan | Boulder, CO | 05/31/2005

(4 out of 5 stars)

"The great composer Franz Schubert is often talked about as a "late bloomer," referring to how his last compositions emerged with great maturity, emotional complexity and consumate skill. These last four quartets are part of this final, masterful phase of Schubert's short life as a composer and should be in every chamber-music collector's shelf.



Among the finest performances of these great quartets stands the recordings here from the legendary Quartetto Italiano - one of the top quartets in the 60's and 70's. The Quartetto Italiano really have a nack for penetrating the depths of such emotive works as #14 or #15 and bring out the intended drama and pathos within.



Their powerful reading of the great, last quartet in G (#15) is especially noted by many major reviewers as one of the finest recordings of this complex masterpiece. The first movement in particular is epic in scale (lasting some 25 minutes) and exudes a powerful, anguished emotional mood which the Italianos bring out with tremedous depth and passion that can send chills down your spine. In all, their playing is of the highest caliber and just sounds superb in terms of synchonicity, intonation and phrasing. Their unison within cresendos is impeccable as was their ability to create sonorities on a "symphonic scale."



However, I found one quirky sonic flaw throughout the entire "Death and the Maiden" and other quartets when listening with headphones: there was an intermittent and jarring "booming" sound that is quite distracting. It is probably not be an issue without headphones, but be forewarned nevertheless. Overall, the sound quality is very good but not perfect given the transfer to CD from the 1960's analog tapes. There is not quite the depth and realism of more modern recordings in general, but this should not discourage purchase for most.



Other quartets to consider for these works are the Guarnari Quartet and, in some works, the Emersons - although the Emerson's style is more "direct" and less "old world graceful" like the Alban Berg's. The Quatuor Mosaiques also recorded a powerful reading of the Rosamunde quartet and others that ranks with the best along with an award-winning recording from the Tacaks Quartet.



All-in-all, I would say the Italianos is one of the finer SETS of Schubert's greatest (last) quartets - although some individual quartets may be better represented by other ensembles. When I hear music of this stature, it reminds me how unfortunate it was for Schubert that his enormous talent and output was not much recognized nor greatly valued in his day outside his close circles. And these last quartets are only a small part of that heritage."

Great interpretations.

J-c | Canada | 07/31/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"The Quartetto Italiano (Le Quartet Italien) have produced a bunch of excellent albums through the years, but among others this one stands out as a crucial release. This is one of the most celebrated recordings of Schubert's late quartets and for some good reasons. Here they introduce one of the finest 'Death and the Maiden' on disc. Although the competition is huge, it remains a refined and enlivened performance that has special merits. Of course, vintage versions by the Busch Quartet and also by the Juilliard String Quartet are steady references the Quartetto will be forgiven for not completely achieving. The Busch Quartet, especially, is still unsurpassed in this domain. The Quartetto's dazzling Quartet in G is equally splendid, as does the Quartettsatz. The music has guts with no compromise on harmonic detail and elegance. The overall clarity of sound and delineation of instruments are striking. Comparatively, the Brandis Quartet -with a particularly excellent 'Rosamunde'- suffers a bit from a slightly harsh top end (violin) that contrasts with the warmer and more disciplined string tone present on the Quartetto Italiano's recording. The Brandis is, sonics aside, a very good set of the quartets even so it can't match the Quartetto in most areas (except, perhaps, for the shimmering 'Rosamunde'). There are plenty of superb recordings of those works, especially the 'Maiden', including (among the names to watch): The Auryn Quartet, Verdi Quartet, Amadeus Quartet, Budapest Quartet, Melos Quartet, Leipzig String Quartet, Alban Berg Quartet, Aria Quartet, Petersen Quartet, Guarneri String Quartet, as well as the famous Emerson Quartet. You can't go wrong with any of them. The Quartetto Italiano belongs to this category, and sometimes it can and effectively does even surpass one or another in a few minor areas. A great package, imbued with a nice touch of quality a la Philips Classics."