There’s always room in the catalog for a beautiful new performance of this quintet. The Takács Quartet and Ralph Kirshbaum sound as though they’ve been playing together for years. The two cellists match timbres expertly in the first movement’s second subject, and the performance is paced so that the exposition repeat doesn’t make the movement sound too long. The Adagio, similarly, has stillness but not stasis, and the loud central eruption registers with impressive impact. The wide dynamic range tells especially successfully in the scherzo—gutsy, vibrant playing here—while the players keep the finale moving vigorously right up to the final bar. Many performances of this work do not bother to offer a coupling, but the Quartettsatz makes a logical disc-mate, just as well played, especially as its C minor tonality pairs well with the Quintet’s C major.
There are so many great performances of Schubert’s Quintet, and everyone will have their personal favorite. It’s impossible to say that this one is the best, but it’s certainly up there with the most impressive versions available. My own preference for the Alban Berg Quartett with Heinrich Schiff (EMI) remains unshaken, but a top-notch performance ultimately speaks for itself. I will return to this excellently engineered disc with pleasure, and so will you.
