Schubert – Streichquintett C-Dur Op. 163 D. 956

Discogs

I wrote this before, but in my personal opinion this is the best work Schubert ever wrote. Especially the adagio is of a heartbreaking beauty. Do not skip the rest: it acts like the surrounding frame. Unless you are a fan of Casals, I do not recommend this particular recording though. Too old, too creaky, and most of all mono (in my version).

Speaking of Casals, I cannot pass that name without telling something about the man. Pau Casals i Defilló was born in 1876 in the region of Tarragona in Catalonia, Spain. At a young age his father was teaching him music, and when he heard a local musician play cello strings on a broomstick, young Pablo wanted to play those too. His father made a crude cello using a gourd, and he could start.

In 1890, aged thirteen, he came across a small tattered copy of the six cello suites by Bach. It took him another 13 years to master them. It would forever put his name in the mind of every cellist in the world. Nowadays the suites are considered the bible for classical cello, but in 1890 they were virtually unknown. Casals put them in the centre of attention: he made the suites what they are now. A quick count on my streaming service tells me there are 222 versions of the work, and all of these are part of Pablo Casals legacy.

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