Leopold String Trio - Schubert: 'Trout' Quintet

Hyperion�s record of the month for March presents Schubert�s much-loved �Trout� Quintet, one of the most popular chamber music pieces of all time. The young Schubert, inspired by the surroundings of a summer trip in the Austrian Alps, decided to use material from his earlier song �Die Forelle� (�The Trout�, D550) as the basis for the beautiful fourth movement of his Quintet. Composed in five movements, the �Trout� is unusual in being scored for a double bass in place of the expected second violin; the resulting transparency of texture and infectious melodies instantly bring to mind the calm serenity of summer mountain air and the �darting� piano accompaniment in the fourth movement vividly conjures up that wriggling trout!Also on this disc are Schubert�s two string trios. D471 (written in 1816) is just a single movement, which may suggest that he was having some difficulty mastering this demanding medium; however by 1817, at the age of just twenty, he was finding his own distinctive voice with his four-movement Trio, D581.The Leopold String Trio, considered one of the world�s most outstanding string trios, here performs these works with remarkable poise and expression. For the �Trout� they are joined by the pianist Paul Lewis (himself a fine Schubertian) and double bassist Graham Mitchell: these fine young musicians bring to these works the engaging freshness, calm authority and generosity of spirit the music deserves.