Pavel Haas Quartet - Schubert: String Quartet No.14 in D Minor "Death and the Maiden",String Quintet in C Major (2013) [Hi-Res]

The Pavel Haas Quartet has established itself as one of the great chamber ensembles of today, performing at the world’s most prestigious concert halls and recording four award-winning CDs. The Pavel Haas Quartet records exclusively with Supraphon. Their most recent recording, released in September 2013, features Schubert’s String Quartet in D minor - Death and the Maiden, as well as the Cello Quintet with Danjulo Ishizaka.

The String Quartet in D minor has a sort of dark cipher encoded within. The title "Death and the Maiden" reflects the quotation from Schubert's eponymous song in the second movement. The theme of death is also underlined by other quotations and the choice of the key of D minor, which according to the period definition is characterised by "heavy-hearted womanliness, spleen and foreboding". Schubert completed his String Quintet in C major for an uncommon formation with two cellos a mere two months before his death. Its instrumentation occasionally gives an almost orchestral impression, with the cello playing a significant role as the bearer of melody.