The matchless Takács Quartet return to Schubert. Their first\ndisc on Hyperion—his ‘Death and the Maiden’ and ‘Rosamunde’\nquartets—received unprecedently lavish critical acclaim,\nacknowledging a new modern benchmark for these works.

\n

Now they turn to perhaps the most hauntingly beautiful of all\nSchubert’s chamber works, the String Quintet—completed six weeks\nbefore the composer’s death. Schubert included a second cello in\nthe texture, creating a sumptuously warm sound, a cradling\nintimacy. Here the Takács players are joined by cellist Ralph\nKirshbaum. Also recorded here is the ‘Quartettsatz’: a fragment—of\nthe highest quality—of a String Quartet in C minor abandoned by the\ncomposer.

\n\n