Guarneri Quartet: the Schubert Recordings

Back in my student days, the First Viennese School usually referred to the trio of Joseph Haydn at one end, Ludwig van Beethoven at the other, and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart between the two of them. I am not sure when I first encountered Franz Schubert being added to the list; but, where productivity is concerned, Haydn and Schubert definitely make for strong “bookends.” However, while Haydn left a decisive mark for both string quartets (many of which he performed as second violin with Mozart on viola) and symphonies, Schubert is probably best known for the songs he composed, which number over 600.

Where his string quartets are concerned, there are fifteen published works, one of which (the twelfth) is the unfinished D. 703 “Quartettsatz” in C minor. This is one of only five that can be found in the Sony Masterworks box set, Guarneri Quartet: The Complete Recordings 1965–2005. It is coupled with D. 804 in A minor, often called “Rosamunde” for the set of variations based on a theme from previously composed incidental music, D. 810. Schubert’s “Death and the Maiden” quartet in D minor, which includes a passing reference to the D. 531 lied “Der Tod und das Mädchen,” is coupled with Hugo Wolf’s “Italian Serenade,” presumably intended to “quiet things down” following the intense performance of D. 810. The remaining quartet is the last, D. 887 in G major, long enough to fill an entire CD.

Cover of the Guarneri Quartet album of Schubert’s “Trout” quintet (from the Amazon.com Web page)

There are only two other Schubert CDs, both of which are quintets. D. 956 is his only string quintet, scored for two violins, viola, and two cellos. Leonard Rose is the “visiting cellist” on the recording. This was one of his last compositions and was only published after his death. The other is D. 667, scored for violin, viola, cello, bass, and piano. This is known as the “Trout” quintet for the movement that is a set of variations on the theme Schubert’s D. 550 lied “Die Forelle” (the trout). The pianist is Emanuel Ax, and the bass is played by Julius Levine.

I am definitely glad to have all of these selections in my collection, and I am more than satisfied with the sensitivity of interpretation that the Guarneri players bring to them. Nevertheless, I have to invoke, once again, Leonard Slatkin’s precept, “You can never conduct enough Haydn or Schubert.” In the box set that Sony has compiled, the total number of CDs allocated Haydn and Schubert together is significantly less than the number for Mozart, as well as for the complete quartets of Beethoven!

To be fair, all of the Guarneri recitals I attended took place during the final quarter of the last century, when I spent almost all of my spare time going to performances in Manhattan. This made for a healthy diet of Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven, and Schubert over the course of my many visits. For that matter, my most recent encounter with Schubert in performance took place early last month, when the Calidore Quartet played D. 703 as their encore. The impact was as strong as ever, so I have every reason to look forward to further Schubert encounters in the future. Meanwhile, he occupies a generous amount of space in my collection, including performances of all of the quartets by the Melos Quartet!