"...the group still preserves the virtues that originally attracted me: a big, warm sounds; an unfailingly probing and original approach...a good sense of musical structure, and plenty of controlled emotion." —Fanfare

Telarc unites the talents of two of its most distinguished artists, the Cleveland Quartet (with guest artist James VanDemark) and acclaimed Irish pianist John O’Conor, to present Franz Schubert’s best-known and most popular chamber work, the Trout Quintet.

In its third decade on the international music scene, the Cleveland Quartet performs on four of the greatest string instruments ever made: Nicolo Paganini’s own Stradivariuses. The group has been highly praised for its performances in the world’s music capitals, as well as for its recordings of chamber music. This recording features William Preucil, the Quartet’s new first violinist at the time.

The Quintet in A major became known as the Trout Quintet because its last movement is a set of variations based on Schubert’s famous art song, “Die Forelle” (“The Trout”). It is generously coupled on this disc with Schubert’s darkly lovely String Quartet in A minor. Written near the end of the composer’s life, its graceful melodies clearly demonstrate why Schubert is known as the “Master of Song.”