Search - Franz [Vienna] Schubert, Ludwig van Beethoven, Jan Panenka :: Smetana Quartet plays Schubert & Beethoven

My All-Time Favorite Trout Quintet

T. Beers | Arlington, Virginia United States | 08/20/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This Trout Quintet recording constituted my introduction to chamber music back about 1966 when it appeared on a budget-priced Lp in Epic Records' "Crossroads" series. (Some listeners now older than they'd like to admit probably remember "Crossroads" discs fondly for their marvelously witty, Peter Max-like album cover art. The album jacket for this 'Trout' showed a cartoon business man kissing a fishbowl that contained a fabulously colorful pet goldfish kissing back!) Nostalgia aside, this still strikes me as an exemplary performance of one of Schubert's most magical scores. Pianist Jan Panenka was a long-time collaborator with the Smetana Quartet, and their performance of the 'Trout' is simultaneously disciplined and free, projecting at all times a beautifully integrated and cultured sound. Likewise, the performance by the quartet alone of Schubert's single movement String Quartet No. 12 is elegantly direct without sounding superfluous. And, as a substantial bonus, for this CD reissue Supraphon has coupled the Schubert performances with a very competitive rendition of Beethoven's First String Quartet. Obviously excellent analog stereo masters provided the source recordings which Supraphon's engineers remastered for CD using state-of-the-art 96kHz/24 Bit technology. And note that all this excellence is provided at a very nice price ...."