Quatuor Mosaïques - Schubert: String Quartets D.173 & 810 "Der Tod und das Mädchen" (2010)

A stunning version of Schubert's famous 'Death and the Maiden' String Quartet performed on period instruments by one of the leading string quartets of our time, the Quatuor Mosaïques.
The 'String Quartet No.14 in D Minor', otherwise known as The Death and the Maiden, is considered one of the pillars of the chamber music repertoire. It's a work that shows Schubert struggling in a world in which he has a lost his bearings, but also yearning for heaven. It is his testament to death. This release also features one of Schubert's earlier quartets, the deeply foreboding D173 in G minor. This is a very dense, concise work, cohesive in its ideas, and technically challenging for its performers, with the fourth movement, especially, representing an veritable obstacle course.
The Quatuor Mosaïques decided to present these two quartets together for comparison. The juxtaposition is revealing, setting the works in perspective, providing enlightenment, emotion and enrichment, as well as allowing deeper insight. Thus the Quatuor Mosaïques continues to discover this master of the string quartet genre, Franz Schubert.