Search - Franz Schubert, Sviatoslav Richter, Borodin Quartet :: Schubert Quintet in A Major D.667 "The Trout - Richter

There are quirks and a few flaws, but this is sitll an inspi

Santa Fe Listener | Santa Fe, NM USA | 11/13/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"For years I've known and loved the piano quintets of Dvorak and Schumann that Richter and the Borodin Qt. recorded, but somehow this live Schubert "Trout" Quintet passed me by. (You don't have to pay an exorbitant price for a used copy, by the way. The performance is included in EMI's box set, "Richter the Icon" and also appears at download sites.) The reading is dominated by Richter's forceful, exuberant pianism -- the microphone is also placed close to him. He never tiptoes; delicacy of touch is subordinated to high spirits.



Richter always had his own ideas in Schubert, and the second movement Andante is quite slow compared to any other 'Trout' that I know, but it is hypnotically played. The Scherzo, too, is fairly broad, forceful, and full of sharp attacks. (The Gramophone critic who complains of stodginess has a tin ear, which is a rperequisite for employment there, along with galoshes to wade through the prose.) Tempos return to normal for the famous variations on 'Die Forelle' that gave this work its moniker; the playing is unusualy thoughtful and inward until Richter enters with sparkling elan. The finale is smoothr and less syncopated than one usually hears. All in all, not a conventional reading, which may put some listeners off.



For me, however, this is a wonderfully spontaneous performance, and I venture only two complaints. The aging Borodin Qt. wasn't always in tune, especially in a live concert setting, and the sound of the strings really should have been favored to compete with the piano."