Composer: Franz Peter Schubert
Performer: Paul Lewis, Graham Mitchell, Leopold String Trio
Format: FLAC (tracks)
Label: Hyperion
Catalogue: CDA67527
Release: 2006
Size: 253 MB
Recovery: +3%
Scan: yes
01. String Trio in B flat major, D471
Piano Quintet in A major, D667 ‘The Trout’
02. I. Allegro vivace
03. II. Andante
04. III. Scherzo: Presto
05. IV. Thema: Andantino – Variations 1-5 – Allegretto
06. V. Finale: Allegro giusto
String Trio in B flat major, D581
07. I. Allegro moderato
08. II. Andante
09. III. Minuetto: Allegretto
10. IV. Rondo: Allegretto
This recording of Schubert’s beloved “Trout” Quintet may not be not the greatest recording of the work ever made. How could it be? Chamber ensembles have been recording the “Trout” since the invention of recording and there are perhaps more great recordings of the piece in the catalogue than of any other chamber work. But the qualities that make for a great recording of the “Trout” are abundantly present in this recording, too, and anyone who loves the work will have to hear it. Why? Because the Leopold String Trio — violinist Marianne Thorsen, violist Lawrence Power and cellist Kate Gould — plus pianist Paul Lewis and bassist Graham Mitchell — tap into the heart’s blood of the work. In their performance, one can hear the ineffable charm, the indescribable beauty and the quintessentially Viennese loveliness of the work. Beyond the ease of their ensemble, the clarity of the textures and the warmth of their tone, their melodies always sing, their harmonies always ring, their rhythms always sway and their tempos always lilt. The couplings of Schubert’s single movement B-flat String Trio and his four-movement String Trio also in B-flat performed by the Leopold String Trio alone are equally well played and equally effective. Whether you have one “Trout” on your shelf or a dozen, this one will still deserves a hearing, especially in Hyperion’s cool, clear and deep sound.
Hyperions record of the month for March presents Schuberts much-loved Trout Quintet, one of the most popular chamber music pieces of all time. The young Schubert, inspired by the surroundings of a summer trip in the Austrian Alps, decided to use material from his earlier song Die Forelle (The Trout, D550) as the basis for the beautiful fourth movement of his Quintet. Composed in five movements, the Trout is unusual in being scored for a double bass in place of the expected second violin; the resulting transparency of texture and infectious melodies instantly bring to mind the calm serenity of summer mountain air and the darting piano accompaniment in the fourth movement vividly conjures up that wriggling trout! Also on this disc are Schuberts two string trios. D471 (written in 1816) is just a single movement, which may suggest that he was having some difficulty mastering this demanding medium; however by 1817, at the age of just twenty, he was finding his own distinctive voice with his four-movement Trio, D581. The Leopold String Trio, considered one of the worlds most outstanding string trios, here performs these works with remarkable poise and expression. For the Trout they are joined by the pianist Paul Lewis (himself a fine Schubertian) and double bassist Graham Mitchell: these fine young musicians bring to these works the engaging freshness, calm authority and generosity of spirit the music deserves.