Franz SCHUBERT (1797-1828)
String Quartet no. 14 in D minor, D810 Death and the Maiden (1824)
[43:20]
Robert SCHUMANN (1810-1856)
Piano Quintet in E flat major, Op. 44 (1843) [30:52]
Sviatoslav Richter (piano), Borodin Quartet
rec. October 1995, Teldec Studio, Berlin (Schubert); Auditorium de la Cité
des Congrés, Nantes and La Grange de Meslay, 16 and 18 June 1994 (Schumann).
DDD
WARNER APEX 2564 67429-8 [74:12] 
This disc presents all-Russian performances of two chamber music masterpieces,
the Death and the Maiden String Quartet by Schubert, and the Piano
Quintet by Schumann.
The quartet takes its nickname from its second movement, which is a set of
variations on Schubert’s song of the same name from 1817. The text represents
a dialogue between Death and a dying girl; she pleads with Death not to take
her, he reassures her that she will sleep gently in his arms. This Romantic
tableau dominates the entire quartet. The Death and the Maiden is a
work of great rhythmic drive, the fast episodes of which are dominated by
short motifs. A general sense of desperation infects its every movement; all
are in a minor key, a first for a Schubert string quartet. The composer was
to live only another four years after writing this work; one can’t help but
feel that he had some intimation of this.
This performance is a studio recording dating from 1995. The Borodin Quartet
launches into the first movement in dramatic fashion, with the bite of open
strings in the two fortissimo phrases. They keep the pulse moving, resisting
the temptation to linger too long over the quieter phrases; the repeat of
the exposition is observed. The second movement is marked Andante con moto,
but in this performance, for the theme at least, is taken more at Adagio.
The leader is eloquent in the first variation; the cello’s high register is
not very audible over the violin descant in the second. The cello is superb,
however, in the fifth variation and the final one is dynamically well shaped,
fading away to a hushed close. The cello’s dotted rhythms register with weight
in the Scherzo. The Finale is one of Schubert’s driven moto perpetuo finales.
It has a striking effect at the very beginning, where the opening motif is
played in unison, only harmonised at the cadences. The Italian Quartet bring
this out beautifully; the Borodins do not - although neither do The Lindsays.
Like the rest of the quartet, this movement is very well played without being
revelatory, although it gains a bit of momentum toward the end, which is quite
exciting.
My comparison for Death and the Maiden is the recording by The Lindsays
from 1988, issued in a 4 CD set of the late string quartets by Sanctuary-ASV.
The Lindsays are rather better recorded than the Borodins, in the more lively
acoustic of Castleton Parish Church, Sheffield. There is a greater feeling
of involvement in their performance, reflected in timings that are just that
little bit faster that the Borodins; they are quicker in the first two movements
by 47 seconds and 35 seconds respectively. The slightly faster tempo in the
second movement better reflects Schubert’s marking, and they play this movement
with great intensity. The disc also includes an effective performance of the
Quartet Movement in C minor, D703.
Schumann completed his Piano Quintet in 1842, but it did not take its final
form until the following year, when, at Mendelssohn’s suggestion he added
a Scherzo. The first performance of the Quintet in its revised form took place
in 1844 at the Gewandhaus, Leipzig, with Clara Schumann playing the piano
part. The work is often regarded as the masterpiece of Schumann’s chamber
music output; its vitality and inventiveness counteract the tendency for his
larger structures to be a bit four square. Philipp Spitta wrote of its “brilliant
imagination and innate power – which seems to grow with every movement, leaving
the listener with a feeling of never-ending increase”. It falls a bit between
the Dvorák and Brahms Piano Quintets in mood, being a little less overflowing
in melody than the former, but with more high spirits than the latter.
This recording is a combination of two live performances given by Sviatoslav
Richter and the Borodin Quartet on 16 and 18 June 1994. The result is a lot
more successful than this description might imply; there is no sense of this
performance being stitched together from different recordings. The acoustic
is warm and the recording a bit closer than in the Schubert. Richter’s presence
seems to have galvanised the Borodins somewhat, as this performance has that
“X factor” that the Schubert lacked. The great Russian pianist’s chiming tone
is immediately apparent, and he plays with an unhurried authority. The first
movement’s lyrical second subject is well contrasted with the vigorous opening.
The second movement is taken at a spacious tempo, with the second subject
a little more con moto. There is beautiful legato playing from the
strings here over Richter’s discreet left hand line. There is plenty of nervous
energy in the Scherzo, and the Trio is meltingly played. The tempo of the
Finale observes Schumann’s marking of Allegro non troppo, avoiding
the mechanical feeling of a faster speed. The texture is well varied from
the vigorous opening to the quieter second subject; one might just wish for
a slightly less hefty fugato. But this performance successfully combines the
dreamy Eusebius with the passionate Florestan sides of Schumann’s nature.
The comparison is with a recording from the 1970s with Rudolf Serkin and the
Budapest Quartet. Serkin lacks Richter’s tonal allure, and this is a more
hard driven performance overall. The performance has a wider range of tempo
fluctuations, but is appreciably quicker in the first movement than Richter/Borodin
(8:35 versus 9:28). The middle movements are basically similar in conception,
but the Finale is again noticeably faster (4:38 versus 5:14). Serkin and the
Budapests play this work with great vigour, but their performance can sound
a bit lacking in charm compared to that of the Russian ensemble.
Richter and the Borodin Quartet’s performance of the Schumann Piano Quintet
would justify purchasing this disc by itself, particularly at bargain price,
and you get a pretty good “Death and the Maiden” as a bonus.
Guy Aron
Buy this for the Schumann Piano Quintet, which is very successful.