Trout Quintet / Death & The Maiden

Schubert (Artist), Amadeus String Quartet (Artist) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (October 25, 1990)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Polygram Records
• ASIN: B000001GA7
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #385,101 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. Quintet for piano, violin, viola, cello & double bass in A major ('Trout'), D. 667 (Op. posth. 114): 1. Allegro vivace

2. Quintet for piano, violin, viola, cello & double bass in A major ('Trout'), D. 667 (Op. posth. 114): 2. Andante

3. Quintet for piano, violin, viola, cello & double bass in A major ('Trout'), D. 667 (Op. posth. 114): 3. Scherzo. Presto

4. Quintet for piano, violin, viola, cello & double bass in A major ('Trout'), D. 667 (Op. posth. 114): 4. Thema. Andantino - Variazioni

5. Quintet for piano, violin, viola, cello & double bass in A major ('Trout'), D. 667 (Op. posth. 114): 5. Finale. Allegro giusto

6. String Quartet No. 14 in D minor ('Death and the Maiden'), D. 810: 1. Allegro con moto

7. String Quartet No. 14 in D minor ('Death and the Maiden'), D. 810: 2. Andante con moto

8. String Quartet No. 14 in D minor ('Death and the Maiden'), D. 810: 3. Scherzo. Allegro molto

9. String Quartet No. 14 in D minor ('Death and the Maiden'), D. 810: 4. Presto

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful performances, October 13, 2009

By 

G.D. (Norway) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Trout Quintet / Death & The Maiden (Audio CD)

The performances on this release are classics from the early stereo age and deserve to be heard and appreciated by anyone interested in music. The two works are rather different in mood and nature, so I guess the overall idea binding them together is the fact that they are each based on one of the composer's songs. Schubert's piano quintet might not rank among his greatest masterpieces, but is sufficiently inventive and delightfully memorable to make it something of a favorite anyway. And there is a freshness about the playing here, in particular Eschenbach's superb piano playing, to make this one of the absolutely best versions around. His partners are also providing committed performances, and the discourse between the instruments is wonderfully realized (although the recording might place the double bass a little off), but if I were to say that I have never heard a superior performance of this work, it is mostly because of the wonderfully phrased and sensitive piano playing.

The coupling is a riveting performance of the D810 string quartet; already from the very opening bars you feel the drama and tension smoldering underneath; that does not mean that the Amadeus Quartet will miss the lyrical sections - far from it, and the realization of the contrasts inherent in the work, and at the same time binding those contrasts together into an overall coherent long arch is one of the major assets of this performance. Their phrasing is wonderful, and the balance between the instruments is good. Sound quality is generally fine, though perhaps a little sharp in the quartet. This release is, in conclusion, really strongly recommended - I should perhaps mention that the 1990 incarnation of these performances was one of the first cds I bought as a kid, so it does perhaps have some particular nostaligic value as well - but I am pretty sure I am able to hear through that to a pair of genuinely wonderful performances.