Search - Schubert, Lympany, Gabrieli :: Trout Quintet/Death & The Maiden

A fine "Trout" by Dame Moura Lympany from 1974, brisk and mu

Discophage | France | 10/29/2006

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Classics for Pleasure, a bargain label and a branch of EMI in Great Britain if I am not mistaken, has reissued the recording of Schubert's "Trout" quintet made by Dame Moura Lympany with the principals of the London Symphony Orchestra in 1974, and it is an excellent version. The opening "Allegro vivace", played with its repeat, is forward-moving and muscular, with a powerful piano (somewhat favored over the strings by the recording pickup) yet capable of fine nuances and felicitous lightness of touch. Inexplicably, though, Dame Moura Lympany doesn't play the trill written by Schubert at 11:35 in the movement's second section - although she does in the first section. The violin and cello exchange starting at 1:45 is lyrical if a bit dry in tone production. Likewise the ensuing "andante" is taken at a brisk tempo, with the fp marks at 1:01 given a biting rhythm and urgent character, and similarly the cello and bass punctuations in the passage starting at 1:55 have a rarely heard rhythmic bite (and Schubert did write these accent marks there), over fine piano staccato touch. The band applies no slow down in the movement's both conclusions (the movement's second part simply repeats the first one, in another key) which consequently sound hushed but not appeased as they do with others. With all that this is one of the fastest "andantes" in the discography, emulated only by Paul Badura-Skoda (in his two recordings on Amiata, In The Mirror of Time Schubert "Trout" quintet) and by Archibudelli on period instruments (Schubert: Trout Quintet; Arpeggione & Notturno, Sony). There are more openly lyrical versions (Richter-Borodine on EMI, at a much more spacious tempo, is one of them), yet this interpretation is far from unfelt, with the viola and cello cantilena starting at 1:55 displaying a heart-gripping lyricism.



The same interpretive values are at play in the Scherzo - briskness of tempo and biting rhythms (though I've heard more precisely articulated staccato from the strings) - and the players keep the same urgency and muscularity of utterance in the middle trio, an option I entirely adhere to (Schubert writes no tempo change here), making it the fastest scherzo I've encountered, over even Archibudelli (see above) and Thomas Adès' (EMI, Adès: Piano Quintet; Schubert: "Trout Quintet") recent recordings. Some might find it uncomfortably hard-driven and inflexible, but I sure keeps you on your toes!



In the 4th movement, Limpany and LSO partners' utterance of the famous "Trout" theme and first variation is easy-going and relaxed, with wonderful lightness of touch from pianist, reminiscent of Ingrid Haebler with Arthur Grumiaux in 1966 (Philips, Mozart: Quintet in A; Schubert: Quintet in A D667, Op114) - but not so felicitous violin tone in its 1st variation chirping trills. The variations unfold with remarkable organic unity and minimal tempo change from one variation to another, until a lively and sprightly coda. Again the Finale is lively and forward-moving (but not quite as boisterously animated as Rudolf Serkin and his Marlboro partners in 1967 on Sony, Schubert: Piano Quintet "Trout"; Mozart: Clarinet Quintet), with wonderful staccato and fine nuancing from Lympany - and a questionable swooning semi-tone slide from violinist John Brown at 4:45.



Not a "Trout" for all tastes, then, and especially not for those who favor a more relaxed and easy-going view of Schubert's pastoral masterpiece (yet these should hear Limpany's theme and variations), but a fine one nonetheless. I refer you to my reviews for all the competing versions I mentioned.



The Trout's discmate, a reading of Schubert's "Death & the Maiden" by the Gabrieli Quartet in 1971, is not in the same league, unfortunately. In the Allegro, the articulation of the opening triplet chords is not very pointed, the fz mark at 1:53 before the 2nd theme is soft grained, and throughout the Gabrielis lack bite and dramatic tension. Phrasings are lazy and tempo not only plods but is also inconsistent, with sudden accelerations as if the players had just snapped out of a slumbering doze (5:13) - but not enough to snap the listener out of his. Likewise, despite Schubert's "Allegro molto" tempo indication, the 3rd movement (Scherzo) is taken at a very deliberate pace, but the problem lies not so much with speed (at a similar tempo the Emerson Quartet on DG elicits much more dramatic tension) as with the fact that the Gabrielis don't apply much bow pressure, making it all sound very limp - and add to that the maudlin sentimentality of their middle trio.



The 2nd (theme and variations) and 4th movements fare better. The famous "Death & the Maiden" theme is taken at a forward-moving tempo, true to Schubert's indication ("Andante con moto") and throughout the variations the Gabrielis maintain a commendable unity of tempo. Of note are an especially profound and moving cello cantilena in the 2nd variation, a 3rd variation taken at a moderate tempo and going for weight and power rather than whipped-up fury - not the most dramatic option but one that is legitimate and effective nonetheless. The finale (taken with all repeats) is played by the Gabrielis at an acceptably forward-moving tempo and with good attention Schubert's dynamic contrasts (but again not always with as much gripping tension as they could and should). Still, all in all this is a run-of-the-mill reading, and my four-start rating refers only to the "Trout". The quartet alone would get only two stars.



The pairing of Schubert's most popular chamber music is an obvious and logical choice. Yet of the available versions I have listened to (Gilels-Amadeus Quartet on DG, Glazer-Fine Arts Quartet on Boston Skyline, Curzon-Vienna Octet on Decca, Horszowski-Budapest and Juilliard on Sony), none is entirely satisfactory (see my reviews). This one is no exception, but deserves to be heard for Limpany's "Trout". Note that the same recording can be found coupled with an impassioned if not very tidy version of Brahms' first sextet by the principals of London's competing orchestra, the Philharmonic - probably then a better option (see my review of Schubert: Piano Quintet "The Trout"; Brahms: String Sextet No. 1).

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