Death and the maiden

"From the opening chord, firm, precise, pliant, this quartet knows its collective mind when it comes to Schubert's much loved "Death and the Maiden" ... They avoid exaggerating the Viennese lilt, keeping all light, muscular and buoyant".

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"The Jerusalem Quartet has established a fine reputation for insightful interpretations and incisive playing, and its polished recordings for Harmonia Mundi are well worth investigating for their acute and passionate performances. This compelling recording of Franz Schubert's String Quartet No. 14 in D minor, "Death and the Maiden," D. 810, and the String Quartet No. 12 in C minor, "Quartettsatz," D. 703, is utterly exciting from start to finish, not just for the powerful suspense that the ensemble builds, or only for the intense energy it brings to these brooding Romantic works, but also for the foreboding mystery and haunted feeling with which it imbues this dark, death-obsessed music".

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"The Schubert gets an energetic, edgy performance from the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra, sometimes nervy, occasionally playful ... The whole makes for thought-provoking, refreshing listening - and what impresses most, as ever, is the sheer aliveness of Kopatchinskaja's music-making".

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"Spillet er uden distance, og kvartettens få omsvøb klæder værkerne, der læner sig ind over Beethovens, men samtidig peger mod nye, moderne tider. Især Artemis' delikate niveauskift får én til at slå ørerne ud og til at glædes over Schuberts magnetiske udtrykskraft".

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"Schubert's two most accesible quartets receive interpertations on this disc which are as near ideal as one is ever likely to hear".

"Vurdering: Tipp" - "Ein ... wirklich brillantes und äusserst geschickt gemachtes Erlkönig-Arrangement für Violine und Viola ... Faszinierend ist dabei, wie es Bashmet gelingt, mit geradzu kammermusikalisch anmutender Intimität seine Viola zum Singen und Sprechen bringen ... Musikalisch allerdings ist die Produktion ... über jeden Zweigel erhaben, auch weil Bashmet und seine agilen Moskauer Solisten deutlich machen, was mit dieser erweiterten Besetzung ... gewonnen ist".

"Vurdering: Tipp" - "Höhepunkt under vielen: das Scherzo von "Der Tod und das Mädchen!".

"The Artemis enjoy growling, clashing, shivering, and the relentless energy of the last movements [Rosamunde] ... There is an impressive, vividly recorded approach".

"Exigence, puissance et cohésion au plus haut degré - quelques mesures suffisent pour identifier le jeu des Artemis ... Avec une autorité et un souffle que seuls les plus grands peuvent soutenir".

"The Ehnes Quartet favour rhythmic buoyancy, athletic grace and crisp, clear lines for Schubert's Death and the Maiden Quartet. Speeds are lithe, but not especially fast, and while it may be clean it's not hygienic - there's plenty of colour and variety of attack ... This performance compels".

"Vurdering: BBC music choice" - "The youthful Jerusalem Quartet has been gaining plaudits and awards already, and now they are to be heard on an outstanding disc which shows their calibre in music which is far more demanding, certainly emotionally and spiritually, than any they have set on disc previously ... this disc is as near to perfection as one ca possibly find".

"The Pavel Haas Quartet, with the superb extra cellist Danjulo Ishizaka, even succeed where most other ensembles fail, making the last movement of the String Quintet into something that seems a fitting conclusion to a work whose first three movements are unquestionably supreme ... Essential listening for anyone who loves Schubert".

"Vurdering: Empfehlungen des Monats" - "Das Pavel-Haas-Quartett interpretiert Schuberts 'Der Tod und das Mädchen' als existenzielle, von Verzweiflungstönen durchsetzte Ausdrucksmusik eines 27-Jährigen, der schon viel zu früh das Ende seines eigenen Lebens kommen sieht".

"Orchestral choice: This must have been an enthralling concert. It's almost impossible to imagine Schubert's Death and the Maiden in a string orchestral arrangement better played, with Kopatchinskaja a dynamic leader of a group of vertiginous brilliance. But this isn't just the quartet: in a 'collaborative exploration', movements are interleaved with pieces from Byzantine Chant to Kurtág via Dowland".