Schubert - String Quartet 14 'Death And The Maiden' [Brandis String Quartett]
Another version of Schubert's 'Death And The Maiden', i was only bemoaning a week ago that it seems i don't play this all that often, this box set contains 3 discs, with String Quartets 12-15, and the String Quintet, as i remember i bought this in HMV Oxford Circus for £5 brans new, a real bargain, it's great to have Schubert's late Quartets all in one package, and String Quartet 14 is still the pick of the bunch, i love it's darkness, and funereal vibes, i played this the same time last year [5th July 2011].
The Brandis String Quartett was founded in 1976, i don't know much more about them, they recorded this work in 1984, the front cover is clever [photo by David Tack], a shot indoors, the sun streaming through the windows, very much side lit, almost as if their faces are halved in black and white, the silver box for the lettering is great, the whole thing is lovely and symmetrical.
And yet again it just has to be the second movement Theme and Variations that i enjoyed the most, it starts with a solemn
Theme [0:00-2:25], like a funeral march, it sweetens slightly in the middle, but also intensifies in an anger,
Variation 1 [2:26-4:18] is all about the First Violin, a quickening of the pace, the cello pizzacatos throughout, while the other two strings make a soft staccato vibe as background to melody on,
Variation 2 [4:19-6:15], now the cello takes up the melody, and the violins take the place as the staccato background vibe, all the while there's this sadness,
Variation 3 [6:16-8:11] is my favourite, though the Brandis Quartett don't play it so hard driven as say the Lindsay Quartet, i'm used to this sounding full of hate and anger, it comes in sort of waves, loud at first, and then quieter with more melody, and then some more loud bowing, it rocks back and forth, an exciting an intense experience,
Variation 4 [8:12-10:18] is more lyrical and sweeter, less serious, and a nice oasis of 'happiness' before the sorrow returns,
Variation 5 [10:18-] starts off quiet, and grows in power, this Variation has the most chops and changes to it, mainly as it employs a sort of coda / finale to end things,
the whole movement starts in G Minor, but ends in a more positive G Major, very telling how Schubert views Death, and all his many transformations / variations, for as the Schubert song says of Death, 'Softly in mine arms you shall sleep!'.
Here's the Gewandhaus Quartet playing the second movement on YouTube.
Theme [0:00-2:25], like a funeral march, it sweetens slightly in the middle, but also intensifies in an anger,
Variation 1 [2:26-4:18] is all about the First Violin, a quickening of the pace, the cello pizzacatos throughout, while the other two strings make a soft staccato vibe as background to melody on,
Variation 2 [4:19-6:15], now the cello takes up the melody, and the violins take the place as the staccato background vibe, all the while there's this sadness,
Variation 3 [6:16-8:11] is my favourite, though the Brandis Quartett don't play it so hard driven as say the Lindsay Quartet, i'm used to this sounding full of hate and anger, it comes in sort of waves, loud at first, and then quieter with more melody, and then some more loud bowing, it rocks back and forth, an exciting an intense experience,
Variation 4 [8:12-10:18] is more lyrical and sweeter, less serious, and a nice oasis of 'happiness' before the sorrow returns,
Variation 5 [10:18-] starts off quiet, and grows in power, this Variation has the most chops and changes to it, mainly as it employs a sort of coda / finale to end things,
the whole movement starts in G Minor, but ends in a more positive G Major, very telling how Schubert views Death, and all his many transformations / variations, for as the Schubert song says of Death, 'Softly in mine arms you shall sleep!'.
