One can’t re-write history, but when you see the point reached by Schubert at 30 – the last quartets and the C-major Quintet, no less -, his early death is one of the greatest tragedies in the history of music. Think about it: what would be the standing of Beethoven today if he had died at 31 and 10 months – in October 1800? He’d been over at opus 18, the first six string quartets. Three violin sonatas, two for cello and that’s it. He’d have composed only the first two piano concertos and left the third unfinished. Eight piano sonatas, no Moonlight, no Hammerklavier… And only the first symphony! No Eroica, no pom-pom-pom-pom (hence no V-Day), no Pastorale, no “Apotheosis of Dance” and no Adagietto, no Ode to the Joy. What would the world be? Hitler would probably have won the war and the Nazis would be dominating the world…
Of course, of course, one can always imagine that Franz sensed that death was approaching (and certainly, all those late works – oh but the terrible irony of this! what’s “late” with Schubert? – are marked by the harrowing sense of impending death) and that it strongly influenced his compositions and early maturity, that if he had been in good health and with the prospect of a long blissful life before him, he wouldn’t have composed the same music… Sure. But what a tragedy in the history of music. Almost two centuries later, even I can’t fully recover from Schubert’s untimely death, so think what it must be with the rest of the world. Franz, return!
I’ve reviewed a number of versions of the 9th Symphony on Amazon, some of the last string quartets and MANY of the C-major Quintet, which I need to re-import over here. Stay tune and be patient.
Piano
Chamber
Arpeggione Sonata D. 821:
Mstislav Rostropovich, Benjamin Britten 22-27.VII.68, Decca Legends 460 974-2 (1999) and Decca The Originals 475 8239 (2007) (+ Schumann Fünf Stücke im Volkston, Debussy Cello Sonata).
Yo-Yo Ma, Emanuel Ax 30-31.VIII.95 (+ Trout Quintet D667, “Die Forelle” D550). Sony SK 61 964 (1996)
Anner Bylsma (violoncello), Jos van Immerseel (fortepiano) 2-5.VII.97 (+ Trout Quintet D667, Arpeggione Sonata D821, Notturno for piano trio D897). Sony SK 63361 (1998)
Gerhart Darmstadt (arpeggione), Egino Klepper (fortepiano) in Der Arpeggione (+ Lied der Mignon transcription, Beethoven Sonatine WoO 43a, Variations on a Russian Folksong op. 107 No. 7, works for “guitar-violoncello and guitar” by Vincenz Schuster and Frederic Burgmüller). Cavalli Records CCD 242 (2005)
Minuet No. 3 and Trio in D minor from Five Minuets with 6 Trios for string quartet D. 89. Kremerata Baltica, cond. Gidon Kremer in “De Profundis” (works of Sibelius, Pärt, Šerkšnytė, Schumann, Nyman, Schubert, Tickmayer, Shostakovich, Auerbach, Piazzolla, Pelēcis, Schnittke). Nonesuch 7559 79969 9 (2010)
String Quartet No. 14 D. 810 “Death and the Maiden”:
The Fine Arts Quartet c. 1960 (+ “Trout” Quintet). Boston Skyline BSD 145 (1997)
Brodsky Quartet VI.92 (+ George Crumb: “Black Angels” for Electric String Quartet). Teldec 9031-76260-2 (1993)
Petersen Quartett 16-19.VI & 3-6.IX.97 (+ Siegfried Matthus: String Quartet “Das Mädchen und der Tod”). Capriccio 10 744 (1998)
String Quartet No. 15 D. 887 op. 161:
The Flonzaley Quartet 19-20.XII.29 in The Flonzaley Quartet Play Romantic Masterpieces (+ Mendelssohn: Canzonetta from String Quartet in E flat, Schumann: String Quartet op. 41/1, Piano Quintet op. 44 with Ossip Gawrilowitsch, Brahms: Piano Quintet op. 34 with Harold Bauer). Biddulph LAB 072-073 (1992),
Kodály Quartet 16.IV & 17-19.VI.02 in complete string quartets vol. 6 (+ Five German Dances with seven trios and a coda D. 90). Naxos 8.557125 (2005)
“Trout” Quintet D. 667:
Clifford Curzon, Willi Boskovsky & members of the Vienna Octet (Günther Breitenbach viola, Nikolaus Hübner cello, Johann Krump double bass) X.57 (+ String Quartet No. 14 by Willi Boskovsky & Vienna Philharmonic Quartet). Decca / London 417 459-2 (1988) and further reissues
Members of The Fine Arts Quartet, Frank Glazer (piano), Harold Siegel (double bass) c. 1958 (+ String Quartet No. 14 “Death & the Maiden”). Boston Skyline BSD 145 (1997)
Hausmusik (Cyril Huvé, Monica Huggett, Roger Chase, Richard Lester, Chi-Chi Nwanoku) X.90 (+ Hummel: Piano Quintet op 87). EMI Reflexe CDC 7 54264 2 (1991)
Emanuel Ax, Pamela Frank, Rebecca Young, Yo-Yo Ma, Edgar Meyer 30, 31.VIII.95 (+ Arpeggione Sonata, “Die Forelle” w. Barbara Bonney). Sony SK 61 964 (1996)
L’Archibudelli (Jos Van Immerseel fortepiano, Vera Beths violin, Jürgen Kussmaul viola, Anner Bylsma ‘cello, Marji Danilow double bass) 2-5.VII.97 (+ Arpeggione Sonata, Notturno for piano trio D897). Sony SK 63361 (1998)
Thomas Adès, Members of the Belcea String Quartet, Corin Long IX.04 (+ Adès Piano Quintet). EMI 5 57664 2 (2005)
Orchestral works
Symphonies
Masses and choral works
Operas