Schubert: String Quintet D.956, Quartettsatz D.703 Tokyo String Quartet and David Watkin

• 1 I. Allegro ma non troppo 20:12
• 2 II. Adagio 13:41
• 3 III. Scherzo - Presto - Trio - Andante sostenuto 09:50
• 4 IV. Allegretto 09:42
• 5 I. Allegro 09:35
• 6 II. Andante (fragment) 02:42
• Total Runtime 01:05:42

Info for Schubert: String Quintet D.956, Quartettsatz D.703

Following their much-lauded Beethoven cycle, the members of the Tokyo String Quartet are joined by cellist David Watkin in this distinguished reading of Schubert's Quintet in C major – the last and perhaps the most haunting of all his chamber works, in which light and shadow, serenity and drama are presented in constant alternation. The programme also includes the Quartettsatz of 1820 with its fragmentary slow movement.

“Almost all the players who perform here seem stirred enough by the music's pathos and power to rise to the occasion...[to give] an intense, sweeping account of the work. I have no complaints, and for anyone who doesn't want the final degree of penetrating lyricism and anguish which you find in the very finest readings...this may prove an ideal version.” (BBC Music Magazine)

“The Tokyo String Quartet with David Watkin promise much as they traverse the slow harmonic progression that opens the first movement...They finish as impressively as they begin; but the middle movements arouse reservations...A degree of objectivity throughout weakens the reach to Elysium...The Tokyo stand back, refusing the minatory experience.” (Gramophone Magazine)

Tokyo String Quartet
David Watkin, cello

Tokyo String Quartet
Regarded as one of the supreme chamber ensembles of the world, the Tokyo String Quartet has captivated audiences and critics alike since it was founded 45 years ago. Performing over a hundred concerts worldwide each season, the quartet has a devoted international following that includes the major capitals of the world and extends to all four corners of the globe, from Australia to Estonia to Scandinavia and the Far East. The Tokyo Quartet has served on the faculty at the Yale School of Music since 1976 and is quartet-in-residence at New York’s 92nd Street Y. Deeply committed to coaching young string quartets, the musicians regularly conduct master classes throughout North America, Europe and Japan.

Officially formed in 1969 at the Juilliard School of Music, the Tokyo String Quartet traces its origins to the Toho School of Music in Tokyo, where the founding members were profoundly influenced by Professor Hideo Saito. Soon after its formation, the quartet won First Prize at the Coleman Competition, the Munich Competition and the Young Concert Artists International Auditions. An exclusive collaboration with Deutsche Grammophon (more than 40 landmark recordings) firmly established it as one of the world’s leading quartets. The ensemble now records for harmonia mundi usa and has brought out an acclaimed cycle of Beethoven’s complete string quartets. Its most recent release is devoted to the Brahms Quintets Op. 34 (with Jon Nakamatsu, piano) and Op. 115 (with Jon Manasse, clarinet).

The Tokyo String Quartet performs on ‘The Paganini Quartet’, a group of renowned Stradivarius instruments named for legendary virtuoso Niccolò Paganini, who acquired and played them during the 19th century. The instruments have been on loan to the ensemble from the Nippon Music Foundation since 1995, when they were purchased from the Corcoran Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C.

Booklet for Schubert: String Quintet D.956, Quartettsatz D.703