Schubert Piano Quintet The Trout Melos

Schubert’s famous Quintet needs little introduction, and is certainly the most famous work named after a fish. The commission came from Sylvester Paumgartner, wealthy mine-owner by day, amateur cellist by night, who not only suggested Schubert use his song, ‘The Trout’, for a set of variations, but also requested the unusual line-up of violin, viola, cello, double bass and piano. Unusual, but not unique, since Hummel had set the trend with his effervescent E flat Quintet and Paumgartner intended to feature the two pieces together in one of his regular soirées.

This Soviet star had a vast repertoire that was virtually unmatched. That's why it takes a full 14 CDs to fully capture the breadth of his artistry-here are his celebrated recordings of Piano Sonatas Nos. 1, 7 & 17 Beethoven; Fantasy in C Schumann; Piano Sonata in a Schubert; Violin Sonatas in D and B-Flat Mozart; Keyboard Suites Nos. 2, 3, 5 & 8 Handel; Piano Concerto No. 2 in B-Flat Brahms; Piano Concerto in G Minor Dvorak; Piano Concerto No. 2 Bartok, plus Prokofiev, Berg and more!

This review is actually to mention and comment briefly on competing recordings of Dohnanyi chamber works, primarily the First Piano Quintet, an amazing, melodic, well-crafted work from Dohnányi's student years and his Opus 1. Every movement has its felicities, including the catchy final movement with its 5/4 meter and obligatory fugal ending. There are competing versions of that work recorded by the Gabrieli Quartet with Wolfgang Manz, piano; the Vanbrugh Quartet, with Martin Roscoe, piano; and the Takacs Quartet with András Schiff.

These readings of Fauré's two late piano quintets by the Schubert Ensemble of London are paradoxical. The group's performances are strong-willed and purposeful in the outer movements, particularly in the C minor Quintet's ever accelerating Finale, yet soft-focused and sensuous in the central slow movements, especially the D minor Quintet's deeply dolorous Adagio. The tone changes from robustly incisive to sweetly sonorous, the ensemble from vigorously muscular to smoothly refined, and the rhythms from sharply accented to softly undulating.