Catalogue | Chamber Music

Following the outstanding success of Volumes I and II of the Schubert String Quartet series, the Mandelring Quartet now present Vol. III. Once again an early work has been coupled with a late one. Eleven years lie between the eighteen-year-old composer’s early Quartet in G minor and the Quartet in G major written when he was twenty-nine. The present combination of works illustrates the compositional development covered by Schubert during these years. If, despite his imaginative way of dealing with tradition, he still felt rather bound to it during his early creative years, during the later years it was at most a backdrop through which only a glimmer of formal norms can be perceived.

Schubert was hardly rewarded for such originality; not one of his string quartets was published during his lifetime and none of the later quartets were publicly performed. They were, at any rate, far too technically difficult to be managed by anything less than a professional quartet, the only exception being the “Rosamunde” Quartet (Vol. II).

The G-major Quartet, in its length of 50 minutes alone, already goes beyond the customary scope of the chamber works of its time. The musical means, too, including tremoli, large-scale developments and huge curves of intensifi cation have orchestral character; the movements’ structures are unusual and independent.
Schubert composed the G-minor Quartet, on the other hand, for the domestic family string quartet. Although this Quartet is a good deal more strongly orientated on the traditions of its time, it is also clear here that Schubert’s phase of assimilation and imitation of musical models was gradually drawing to a close.

The Mandelring Quartet have succeeded in developing a musical vision with the highest level of interpretative expertise. The drama hidden in these quartets is exposed and revealed to the listener in an organic manner through all ups and downs, thanks also to the excellent recording technique.

• Classica-Répertoire | Antoine Mignon | January 2, 2007

  On retrouve avec un grand bonheur le Quatuor Mandelring dans la poursuite de leur intégrale des quatuors de Schubert. La richesse de leur sonorité...

• Der Reinbeker | Peter Steder | May 17, 2010

  Jazz und Klassik
  „Chesky Records“ gehört unbestritten zu den führenden audiophilen Labels (Vertrieb: inakustik). Die Aufnahmen entstehen nicht im Studio, sondern...

• DeutschlandRadio Kultur - Radiofeuilleton | Carola Malter | July 31, 2006

  „Quartett spielen – unser Traumberuf“ ... viele Musiker wünschen sich das. Doch nicht alle können diesen Traum auch leben. Das...

• Ensemble - Magazin für Kammermusik | Detlev Bork | January 10, 2006

  Erfolgsserie 3. Teil
  Wieder kombiniert das Mandelring Quartett ein frühes Werk Franz Schuberts mit einem späten, und wieder gelingt ihnen eine packende wie...

• Fanfare | Peter J. Rabinowitz | January 3, 2007

  The Mandelring Quartet, three siblings and a friend, are renowned for their exceptional coordination—a virtue evident on this, the third volume of...

• Fono Forum | Holger Arnold | January 1, 2007

  Analytisch
  Wie bei den beiden Vorgängerinnen vereint auch diese dritte Folge des 2003 begonnenen Schubert-Zyklus ein frühes und ein spätes Quartett als...

• Le Monde de la Musique | Patrick Szernsovicz | January 1, 2007

  C’est une chance pour Schubert de parvenir a maturite avant que ne puissent l’influencer les dernières compositions de Beethoven d’autant que...

• Mannheimer Morgen - Morgen Magazin | hub | August 18, 2006

  Zunächst ist man verblüfft. So rasch und präzise, so artikulationssicher wird der erste Satz aus Schuberts frühem g-Moll-Streichquartett (D 173)...

• Muzyka21 | Stanisław Lubliński | January 1, 2007

  Arcydzieła Schuberta zespół wykonuje z ogromnym liryzmem i niezwykłą ekspresją. Wspaniała barwa dźwięku zachwyca, prostota wypowiedzi urzeka...

• Neue Zürcher Zeitung | flh | April 27, 2007

  Später Schubert
  Es gibt viele Interpretationen von Schuberts grossem letztem G-Dur-Quartett...

• opushd.net - opus haute définition e-magazine | Jean-Jacques Millo | November 13, 2006

  Troisième volume de l’intégrale des Quatuors à cordes de Franz Schubert entreprise par le Quatuor Mandelring. - Le Quatuor N°15 fut composé...

• Pforzheimer Zeitung | Thomas Weiss | March 9, 2009

  Bedeutende Streichquartette
  Das Mandelring-Quartett hat sich einerseits mit Franz Schubert befasst, von dem eine sehr genau durchgearbeitete Einspielung der Quartette G-Dur D887...

• Pizzicato | Guy Wagner | January 2, 2007

  Faszinierende Alternative - In dieser Einspielung setzen die vier Musiker sich mit dem großen letzten Meisterwerk Schuberts in Sachen...

• Scherzo | Alfredo Brotons Muñoz | January 5, 2007

  La tercera entrega de la integral de cuartetos de Schubert a cargo del joven Cuarteto Mandelring mantiene la tónica de las dos anteriores (véase...

• Stereo | Egon Bezold | January 9, 2006

  Aus Schuberts letztem Quartett spricht der große Tragiker, der sich die...

• The Strad | Joanne Talbot | January 6, 2007

  What Schubert achieved in his brief life never ceases to amaze, yet even within this short space of time, his style developed hugely. This is...

• www.ClassicsToday.com | Victor Carr Jr | January 7, 2007

  The Mandelring Quartet initially raises high hopes in the first movement of Schubert's String Quartet No. 15. After performances that attempt to...

• www.classicstodayfrance.com | Christophe Huss | February 11, 2006

  Après La Jeune fille et la mort dans le volume 1 et Rosamunde dans le volume 2, voici les Mandelring, un an plus tard, à l'épreuve du 15e Quatuor....

• www.ResMusica.com | Patrick Georges Montaigu | December 12, 2005

  Poursuivant son intégrale Schubert après deux premiers volumes consacrés à La jeune fille et la Mort et au quatuor Rosamunde, le Quatuor...

• www.SA-CD.net | Polly Nomial | June 17, 2008

  This, the third volume of the Mandelring's exploration of Schubert's chamber music, contains the third and last of Schubert's "great" quartets...

• www.SA-CD.net | Andrew B | July 8, 2007

  The fascinating and long first movement allegro of this, Schubert’s last string quartet, was probably the only part to be performed in his lifetime,...