Schubert - String Quartet 14 [Brandis String Quartett] Well i haven't played this work for over six months, then two discs come along one after another!, i listened to this yesterday, but it's good to listen to this again, and i certainly didn't find it boring or tedious because i've already listened to it yesterday, in fact quite the opposite, this was really compelling, my ears were pricked up with excitement.
The Brandis String Quartett was formed in 1976 by Thomas Brandis, a German String Quartet, they recorded this work in 1994, i bought this box set of three discs brand new from a shop in London, for an incredibly low price [i think as low as £5!], this is one of those 'fatbox' triple disc boxes, with a cardboard slipsleeve surround, the front picture is truly excellent [by David Tack], an indoor shot with beautiful natural light from the window, lovely shadows, and the lettering / logo is embossed in silver, nicely symmetrical, very well done Nimbus.
Yesterday i enjoyed so much the second movement theme and variations, and even though i also very much enjoyed them today too, it was the dark brooding first movement that really caught my ears, fierce to begin with [0:00+], and demonic as it continues [0:34+], i like it when all the instruments are seemingly doing all sorts of individual things [0:49+], and yet they are so unified in creating something phenomenal out of these individual ideas, the main tune starts up at [1:54+], a tad more brisk and brighter, there's an exposition repeat from what i can tell [4:35+], where all the ideas get repeated, i especially like the busy viola in the background [5:24-5:51], and those outbursts right after [5:52+], Schubert knows how to keep this chugging along, teeming with interest for over 16 minutes, the Brandis Quartet are very similar to the Tokyo Quartet yesterday, timings are very similar, but the Tokyo Quartet don't use the exposition repeat, maybe that's why i liked this movement better today, i like repetition, and themes coming around a second time, in my soul such repetitions come round with more force and beauty the second time around, plus... it's so good to hear the whole thing from another perspective for the second time in two days.
Here's the Leipzig String Quartet playing the first movement on YouTube.
