Brandis Quartett - Schubert: The Late Chamber Music for Strings (1997)

Tracklist

01. String Quartet in A Minor, D. 804: I. Allegro ma non troppo
02. String Quartet in A Minor, D. 804: II. Andante
03. String Quartet in A Minor, D. 804: III. Menuetto. Allegro - Trio
04. String Quartet in A Minor, D. 804: IV. Allegro moderato
05. String Quartet in D Minor, D. 810 "Death and the Maiden": I. Allegro
06. String Quartet in D Minor, D. 810 "Death and the Maiden": II. Andante con moto
07. String Quartet in D Minor, D. 810 "Death and the Maiden": III. Scherzo. Allegro molto
08. String Quartet in D Minor, D. 810 "Death and the Maiden": IV. Presto
09. Quartettsatz in C Minor, D. 703
10. String Quartet in G Major, D. 887: I. Allegro molto moderato
11. String Quartet in G Major, D. 887: II. Andante un poco moto
12. String Quartet in G Major, D. 887: III. Scherzo. Allegro vivace
13. String Quartet in G Major, D. 887: IV. Allegro assai
14. String Quintet in C Major, D. 956: I. Allegro ma non troppo
15. String Quintet in C Major, D. 956: II. Adagio
16. String Quintet in C Major, D. 956: III. Scherzo. Presto - Trio. Andante sostenuto
17. String Quintet in C Major, D. 956: IV. Allegretto

With two current and two former members of the Berlin Philharmonic, including a former concertmaster, as members, the Brandis Quartet is essentially a string chamber music reincarnation of the Philharmonic. The same sense of polish, pride, and sublimated passion that infused the Philharmonic's performances under Herbert von Karajan informs its performances as well. Yet there is also a strong sense of kids let out of school in the performances, too, a feeling of liberty, honesty, and even joy that was so often missing from the Berlin's performances under Karajan. In these early-'90s recordings of Schubert's last three string quartets, plus the Quartetsatz and String Quintet, the Brandis plays with consummate beauty of tone and wholly polished ensemble, but with something more, as well. From a technical point of view, the performances are equal to the finest ever made - the polished Amadeus Quartet's, the soulful Budapest Quartet's, the beautiful Quartetto Italiano, and the intellectual Alban Berg's - but the Brandis' ardent lyricism and elated tempos give them a wholly individual character. If the Brandis' performances seem a bit too restrained for some listeners, well, as the saying goes, you can take the players out of the BPO, but you can't take the BPO out of the players. Nimbus' sound is positively golden.