Schubert: String Quartets Vol. 2

Composer: Franz Schubert
Artists: Diogenes Quartet
Stefan Kirpal (violin)
Gundula Kirpal (violin)
Julia Barthel (viola)
Stephen Ristau (cello)

There is little doubt that Vienna at the turn of the 19th century was the musical capital of the world; a nexus for the string quartet composer, who could alternate composing for the leading virtuosos of the day with creating works that satisfied the then-increasing predilection for domestic music-making. Against this background, striving to find his own voice and using the medium as a path towards his early symphonies, was the young, prodigiously talented Franz Schubert. Similar to Beethoven, Schubert stood out in his refusal to target the general public with his writing, though there is much evidence to suggest that the majority of his early string quartets were written for and first performed by his family’s own ensemble.

00:00:00 Franz Schubert: Overture in B-Flat, D. 470: Adagio maestoso – Allegro (Completed by Christian Starke)
00:06:19 Franz Schubert: String Quartet in B-Flat, D. 112: I. Allegro ma non troppo
00:19:01 Franz Schubert: String Quartet in B-Flat, D. 112: II. Andante sostenuto
00:27:46 Franz Schubert: String Quartet in B-Flat, D. 112: III. Minuetto – Trio
00:32:50 Franz Schubert: String Quartet in B-Flat, D. 112: IV. Presto
00:37:58 Franz Schubert: String Quartet in E Major, D. 353: I. Allegro con fuoco
00:45:10 Franz Schubert: String Quartet in E Major, D. 353: II. Andante
00:50:35Franz Schubert: String Quartet in E Major, D. 353: III. Minuetto – Trio
00:54:00 Franz Schubert: String Quartet in E Major, D. 353: IV. Rondo: Allegro vivace

https://youtu.be/dpiD59XGKjo