"As energetic and vibrant as the performance by the Alban Berg Quartet (EMI), this 'Trout' offering is made even more interesting through its use of the first edition score of 1829. On top of all this, the recording quality is excellent. Regardless of price, this is the version of the 'Trout' to own, and at this price, it's impossible to pass up."
Good, Straightforward Schubert
Timothy Kearney | 10/26/1998
(3 out of 5 stars)
"This is a good, solid version of these pieces, and the Adagio and Rondo Concertante in F is hard to find and worth hearing. At the price, it's hard to resist. The recorded sound is excellent."
Sublime
David Saemann | 03/19/2008
(5 out of 5 stars)
"This is my favorite Trout on CD. The only version I have heard that is comparable to it is on an LP by Jorg Demus and members of Collegium Aureum, all playing on period instruments. First of all, Jeno Jando is one of the finest Schubert players in the world. His performance is crisp, full bodied, and totally unsentimental. The string players are equally fine. The Kodaly Quartet has made so many fine recordings for Naxos that praising them may be superfluous here. For a group that does Beethoven's Late Quartets so well, an outing in the Trout might appear too superficial. But the string playing here is absolutely lovely and full of charm. And the excellent sound engineering allows you to hear the fine contribution of the double bassist, an essential part of the piece that is too often obscured on recordings. In sum, this is one of the finest Trouts ever recorded (I even have the Schnabel/Pro Arte Quartet version.) and an absolute steal at the price."
Good Quality, Great Price
Timothy Kearney | Hull, MA United States | 09/25/2004
(4 out of 5 stars)
"A few years ago I was doing a presentation and decided that background music would suit the presentation rather well. The only problem was that I was on my way to make the presentation and did not have any CD's with me. As I was driving, Schubert's Trout Quintet was on the radio. The familiar music would suit the need for background music perfectly, and it turned out I was near a music store. I thought that even this store with a limited selection would have this title. It did, and at a price that was outrageous. I then decided to go budget, figuring if the quality was also budget, it would be fine since people probably would not notice the music anyway. Well, finding this recording was a stroke of good luck.
"The Trout Quintet" has been performed by many great musicians and well known quartets and quintets. I assumed this rendition would be at least adequate, but would probably pale in comparison to other recordings of this work I have in my collection. I am not going to say it is better than a recording I have with Isaac Stern and another with Yo Yo Ma, It is an excellent and energetic performance of the work and the Andante and Rondo Concertante is a lesser known work, but compliments the "Trout Quintet" well.
This recording, like so many in the Naxos catalog, is of a quality that far exceeds the price, and offers the listener a masterful performance of a great work in the classical repertoire.
"
Don't let the budget price fool you; this is top-drawer Schu
March Eliot | Planet Earth | 07/19/2010
(5 out of 5 stars)
"The Trout Quintet is very lucky on disc. I don't believe I have ever heard a poor recorded performance of it. Perhaps it is easier to bring off because, as tuneful and lovely as it is, it doesn't plumb the emotional depths of Schubert's late chamber music for strings. Anyway, for whatever reason, there are perhaps a dozen great performances of this work in the catalog, including Ax, Ma and friends on Sony; Brendel, Zehetmair and friends on Philips; Hausmusik (my favorite on period instruments), and this one.
Choosing between such superb performances is like choosing your favorite day in June. This performance on the budget Naxos label ranks with the best, and I have never heard a better one.
Not to suggest all recordings of the Trout sound alike. From the first note, this one stands out. While often the strings lightly arpeggiate the first chord while anticipating the piano's entrance by just a hair, Jeno Jando and the Kodaly Quartet play the chord in perfect unison, as instructed by the score. It's faithful to Schubert's intentions and it wakes you up! The rest of the performance has the same jolting energy and high spirits, including a Scherzo that is very lively but never sounds hurried (as it does when played by Ax, Ma and friends).
But it is the sound quality that really pushes this to the head of the class. One thing that makes the Trout Quintet one of the great chamber works is Schubert's nearly anachronistic use of the double-bass. The use of a double-bass in piano quintets died out in the 19th century, to be replaced by the now-standard combination of piano, two violins, viola and cello. In the Trout (as in Schubert's Octet) the presence of a double-bass broadens the soundscape and creates a rich and beautiful foundation against which the piano can indulge in rippling effects in the treble.
It is therefore important that recordings of the Trout capture the double-bass well; if the double-bass is too recessed the work can lack heft or richness and the sparkling treble effects on the piano can become cloying. The superb sound engineering on this CD captures the richness of the bass end of the sound spectrum better than most full-price alternatives.
As a filler, the Adagio and Rondo Concertante makes perfect sense, since it is scored for piano, violin, viola and cello and therefore can make use of four of the players from the Trout. It's a very amiable piece though I won't say it's Schubert's most profound or memorable chamber piece. If you are looking for a stronger makeweight, you may want to consider the Ax-Ma Trout (coupled with the beautiful Arpeggione Sonata and, appropriately, the Schubert song "Die Forelle" which is the basis for the quintet's fourth movement) or the Brendel-Zehetmair Trout (coupled with Mozart's first piano quartet).
I own both of those CDs but when I want to listen to the Trout, I almost invariably reach for this one."
Track Listings (6) - Disc #1
