I was delighted to receive this new set of Belcea
recordings made at their favourite venue. The double CD package
includes
Schubert’s final two string quartets and the famous String
Quintet
in which the Belcea are augmented by the services
of Valentin Erben of the late lamented Alban Berg Quartet.
On several occasions I have attended Belcea Quartet recitals
and know the majority of their recordings well. In anticipation
of the arrival of this release I have been playing their 2002
Potton Hall recordings of Schubert’s String Quartet No.
13 in A minor, D.804 ‘
Rosamunde’;
Quartettsatz in
C minor, D.703 and String Quartet No. 10 in E flat Major, D.87
reissued on EMI Classics 5 18182 2. For a recording made relatively
early in their career these performances would be remarkable
for an established quartet. This is highly impressive playing
from the Belcea Quartet full of vibrancy, colour, precision and
their enviable trademark ensemble.
I have particularly enjoyed their 2003/4 Potton Hall recording
of the Brahms String Quartet in C minor, Op. 51/1 and String
Quintet in G major, Op. 111 on
EMI
Classics 5576612. I made this release one of my 2004 Records
of the Year. Another of theirs that I highly rate is the 2004
Potton Hall recording of Benjamin Britten’s three officially
numbered String Quartets
and the Three Divertimenti
on
EMI
Classics 5579682. This was one of my 2005 Records of the
Year.
Opening the Schubert set is the String Quintet -
one of
the true masterpieces of all nineteenth century music. I have
seen the score described as, “
one of the most pessimistic
documents in all chamber music”. Schubert wrote it
in 1828 for the combination two violins, viola and two cellos.
Schubert on the verge of death reached deep into his soul but
could find only extreme melancholy and anguish. This is an intensely
moving account from the Belcea with the realistic feel of a live
performance. I was struck by the wide dynamics from delicate
feathery strokes to storms of awesome power. One senses the players
have spiritually attuned themselves to Schubert’s deep
emotions. Although the outstanding quality of the performance
makes this an extremely difficult choice my recommendation remains
the superbly refined and highly moving 1982 evergreen by the
Alban Berg Quartet with Heinrich Schiff on EMI Classics 5 66890
2.
Completed in 1826 the Quartet in G major, D.887 was Schubert’s
last string quartet. It had to wait until 1850 for its premiere
and was only published the next year. The Belcea give an enthralling
performance: characterful and splendidly phrased. In the
Allegro
molto moderato the assured playing of this unsettling music
of wide extremes is impressive. I was struck by the relentless
vigour and forward momentum of the Mendelssohnian
Scherzo interrupted
only by the
ländler-like
trio section. Unfortunately
it has had to be spread across two discs. This performance rubs
shoulders with the wonderfully expressive 1977 account from the
Italian Quartet on Philips 446 163-2.
The ‘
Death and the Maiden’ Quartet, D.810
is one of the most renowned in the repertoire. It’s a powerful
work full of melodic invention. The theme of death is at its
heart and the music is sombre at times but never morbid. The
title ‘
Death and the Maiden’
stems
from Schubert’s early song setting ‘
Der Tod und
das Mädchen’ (‘
Death and the Maiden’),
D.531 which appears in the
Andante as the source of the
theme and set of variations. In the opening
Allegro the
bold and intense writing verges on the manic and is communicated
here with considerable skill and utmost confidence. I found highly
effective the playing of the theme and six variations that comprise
the second movement
Andante con moto. The extremely popular ‘
Death
and the Maiden’
Quartet
has numerous
versions in the catalogue. This account from the Belceas is up
there with my primary recommendation from the Italian Quartet,
a 1965 account remarkable for its sheer technical excellence
and impressive imagination, on Philips 446 163-2.
The chamber music world has seen the disbanding of the Guarneri,
Lindsay and Alban Berg quartets. An elite group of outstanding
quartets has moved into the limelight namely the Emerson, Henschel,
Talich and Takács. With this impressive Schubert release
the Belcea Quartet has now firmly established their position
within this premier league of chamber ensembles. Their splendid
unison and beautiful tone is a consistent feature together with
their impressive ability to communicate the music to the listener.
In the notes Richard Wigmore provides a fine if rather concise
essay. From the Potton Hall studio I found the splendid sound
quality to be clear and well balanced. Received too late for
consideration as one of my ‘2009 Records of the Year’ this
release deserves considerable praise.
Michael Cookson
Belcea Quartet:
(Corina Belcea-Fisher (violin); Laura Samuel (violin); Krzysztof Chorzelski (viola);
Antoine Lederlin
(cello)); Valentin Erben (cello: Quintet) 
