Aviv Quartet: Schubert - The Last Quartets Nos. 14 & 15 (2xCD)

Schubert’s last two quartets, composed during the final years of his life, reveal the impressive mastery he achieved, despite the knowledge that he was dying.

The four movements of the ‘Death and the Maiden’ quartet, all in minor keys, and the tumultuous, quasi-orchestral fifteenth Quartet, an important stage on “the way to the grand symphony,” bear witness to the composer’s struggle against illness and death.

The Quatuor Aviv brilliantly illuminates the elegiac and tragic melodies in which Schubert wrapped his torments.

Tracklist:

1. String Quartet No. 15 in G Major, D. 887: I. Allegro molto moderato (23:52)
2. String Quartet No. 15 in G Major, D. 887: II. Andante un poco moto (12:02)
3. String Quartet No. 15 in G Major, D. 887: III. Scherzo. Allegro vivace – Trio. Allegretto (7:20)
4. String Quartet No. 15 in G Major, D. 887: IV. Allegro assai (11:30)
5. String Quartet No. 14 in D Minor, D. 810 "Death and the Maiden": I. Allegro (12:27)
6. String Quartet No. 14 in D Minor, D. 810 "Death and the Maiden": II. Andante con moto (15:09)
7. String Quartet No. 14 in D Minor, D. 810 "Death and the Maiden": III. Scherzo. Allegro molto – Trio (4:09)
8. String Quartet No. 14 in D Minor, D. 810 "Death and the Maiden": IV. Presto (9:39)