Search - Franz Schubert, Victor Kissine, Kristine Blaumane :: Schubert: String Quartet in G major (arr Victor Kissine) (ECM)

Stunning and Much Better Than Expected.

Louie Bourland | Garden Grove CA | 05/06/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"One of Franz Schubert's many great works is his String Quartet No.15 in G Major composed in 1826 - the year before his untimely death at the age of 31.

This 2005 recording on the ECM label presents the quartet in a stunning new version for string orchestra realized by Victor Kissine and directed by violinist Gidon Kremer. While some purists may find this arrangement to be a sacrilige to the original quartet, the end result is quite beautiful.

Kissine and Kremer have magically transformed this brilliant work into somewhat of a concerto for string orchestra with the quartet instruments being used as soloists. The drama and intensity of Schubert's original quartet is maintained throughout the work and the additional strings add further depth bringing certain musical nuances forward that weren't quite noticable in the original (unless one listened carefully).

In the end, this is a fantastic recording that exceeded my expectations. While this CD may have its share of naysayers, I think it would be safe to say that quite possibly Schubert himself would be proud of this arrangement of one of his finest string quartets.

Hats off to Gidon Kremer and Victor Kissine for pulling it off."