Sabine Herre

Being that Schubert was suffering great mental and physical anguish at the time of his Octet’s completion in 1824, it’s surprising that the work is so sunny and optimistic. At a little over an hour, it’s the Austrian composer’s longest chamber work—and his most inspired. With just eight instruments, Schubert crafts an opening movement on the scale of a Beethoven symphony, ideas ricocheting between strings and woodwind, bass and treble. The “Adagio” is a sublime song for clarinet that rivals Mozart for its understated beauty while an ebullient central scherzo, stately variations, and suave minuetto culminate in a finale of intense drama that seems to glance toward Wagner. It’s all stunningly recorded and performed, too—a benchmark performance full of wit, passion, and charm.

Orpheus was able to beguile the gods, humans and wild animals with his song and even soften stones - his ancient legendary figure became a myth.

The scoring of Haydn’s Concertinos for keyboard and an accompaniment of two violins and a cello makes these early works available for performance either as chamber music in a domestic environment or with a string orchestra in the concert hall. They were written either shortly before or during Haydn’s first years in the service of the Esterházy family at Eisenstadt, and make relatively modest technical demands on the soloist, who retains prominence throughout. They are played here on a 19th century fortepiano, accompanied by three string players.

Handel's Italian cantatas date from early in his career, with few exceptions (none on display here). As a group they are less well-known than his operas, but they're equally virtuosic, and performances of the cantatas whole, as with the three here, are a bit more satisfying than with the operas. The cantatas were composed for parties among powerful Roman cardinals, and they catch the young Handel at the peak of his first success, as Roman audiences hailed him as "il caro Sassone" (the dear Saxon).