Search - Franz [Vienna] Schubert, Neues Leipziger Streichquartett :: Schubert: Complete String Quartets, Vol. 1

This ensemble was still the New Leipzig String Quartet when this recording was made because the old Leipzig String Quartet hadn't retired yet. The ensemble was audacious enough to choose Schubert's difficult last String Quartet for Volume 1 of its series, but the attempt is triumphant. This is compelling Schubert playing, immediately expressive and right in your face. The power of the music in this performance is strong enough to keep you riveted through its great length (50 minutes!). The modest, unfinished Trio is done with a completely different approach, suiting its nature very well. The one-minute fragment by the 12-year-old boy composer is a tantalizing encore. Large-hall reverberant sound but very good of its type. --Leslie Gerber