Blind Comparison: Schubert String Quintet D. 956 / Op. 163

[Brian]

J1 may or may not advance. It did very well in this round, but not well enough to challenge the lead established by its main competitor for a place in the finals (which in this case is not J2 but I3). Its overall score thus isn't high enough to advance. Considering group H's inconclusive results however, I'm contemplating an alternative system where I choose the top five overall scoring recordings that also scored above a certain threshold in the adagio round, or received the most "thumbs up"s, or something. Either way you'll know within a day.

Thanks for voting!

Here is my list of preferred finalists  at least based on this latest round of slow movements: I3, H1, H4, J2, and for the last spot either J1 or H2. Of course who knows, maybe I hated all of them in the earlier rounds...

[aukhawk]

Leaning on the ref?

[Pim]

H4
The pleading first violin makes a strong impression on me. For some it may be overly sentimental, but not for me. Could this be the same ensemble as C2? (or were they already out of the race? No time to check).

H1
Wonderful. Without the first violin standing out, but actually working better as a whole, perhaps because of this. Great pizz. wonderfully timed in the violins (3:39 and 3:50 for instance).

H3
A bit slow but beautifully fragile around 3.20 and onwards. Works better for me than H2.

H2
Doesn't grab me half as much as H4, still good of course, although the cello 'plunks' (sorry) too loudly at times.

H4=H1 > H3 > H2

And what a wonderful piece of music this is! Sorry for my delays and bad ears, but I'm really happy to have joined these blind comparisons!

[amw]

Thanks Pim!

In the end I decided to go with the simple tabulation of overall scores, with one exception. The strong enthusiasm for H1 in this round pushed its overall score very close to I3 (which was ahead due to being one of the highest-scoring recordings in the first round), and was one of the highest scores in this round. I3 on the other hand received several 'meh' responses and its score in this round is eighth place. So I3 will be eliminated, with apologies to Brian as well as Cato and Jay F and all the others who enthusiastically endorsed it in previous rounds, and H1 moves on as our 'wild card' finalist along with H3, H4, I4 and J2.

(Using scores from just this round, the finalists would not be too dissimilar, the only difference being that H2 advances instead of H3. H3 picked up a massive lead in previous rounds by accumulating 4 thumbs-ups and top scoring in the scherzo, and the additional thumbs-up and some 'likes' push it forward despite having the lowest round score in its group.)

Results in a few hours, links shortly after that.

[amw]

Round 3 Results

Group H

This group got all the love! In fact I'm only eliminating one recording from it, and it was one most of you liked. You can hate me later. Or you can buy it, listen to it and love it. There are no wrong answers at this stage.

#4 - H2 (G2, A2) - +14.5

You said:
"Slightly quicker and with minimal vibrato, this is closer to the kind of 'infinite suspension' effect that I want to hear."
"middle section could maybe more explosive, but they are extremely convincing at the close and than the A' part, very hushed, with the violin figurations not sounding like an adornment, but disturbed and "pleading" " + thumbs up
"The central section is a little less tense. Overall ensemble playing totally superb."
"Doesn't grab me half as much as H4, still good of course, although the cello 'plunks' (sorry) too loudly at times."

It was
[asin]B000003UYR[/asin]
Orpheus Quartet
Pieter Wispelwey (vc)

Infamous for their take-no-prisoners performances of standard rep and scorched-earth tactics in new music, the Orpheus Quartet made this remarkable but short-lived alliance with Pieter Wispelwey, the 'Butcher of Rotterdam', in 1994. The Orpheus's intention may have been to use the Schubert Quintet as a long-range weapon against their hated enemies, the Hagen Quartet, by surrounding the German-speakers with elements of French, Dutch and Romanian music-making. Wispelwey's intention on the other hand is unknowable, as he is ruled only by caprice and his insatiable Bachlust. Already here in the adagio one can hear the collaboration falling apart with Wispelwey's too-prominent pizzicati, but the scherzo—the second fastest Presto ever committed to record—reveals the extent of the power they could have brought to bear had the alliance lasted. However, Wispelwey cut loose from the Orpheus in order to burn his own path of destruction through Northern Europe, and the Orpheus was forced to negotiate a cease-fire with the Hagen in order to counter the threat posed by the Emersons.

The rest:
#3 H1 - +15.45
#2 H4 - +17.35
#1 H3 - +18

Group I

Consensus formed in group I pretty early: I4 was the only recording worth keeping. I'm not sure what else I expected from a group with three of my favourites in it. :<

#4 - I1 (E3, A7) - +7.75

You said:
"Calm start, but the mood is spoiled by some intonation issues (repeatedly). No sense of where the music is going."
"lethargic and the historical continuo of a Rice Krispies bowl did nothing to improve matters."
"I find the entire movement just too slow, and there are some wavering notes, or too much vibrato going awry."
"Amazingly it works quite well, the balances are o.k., despite the not so good sound. It is not just a radiant idyll, but  The middle section is passionate"

It was
[asin]B001PU6SQE[/asin]
Taneyev Quartet
Mstislav Rostropovich (vc)
(never released on CD)

Times were dark in the Soviet Union in 1963. Shortages of food, Kondrashin and other essential items were common, leading to strict rationing. Like many young Soviet men, Mstislav Rostropovich knew the cause for this—capitalism—and knew he had to prepare a version of the Schubert String Quintet unmatched by any of the capitalist pigdog efforts in order to ensure the supremacy of the Soviet way of life. Hatching a plan, to be the first person ever to record the exposition repeat in the first movement, he gathered the Taneyev Quartet—old, embittered, cynical, but supremely talented—and, on the appointed day and time, went into the studio in high spirits and full of confidence.

It was the most harrowing experience of young Slava's life. The Taneyev Quartet pushed tempi much faster or slower than he was comfortable with, and their unison playing possessed such intensity and homogeneity that his every movement felt like an intrusion. How could he have ever thought himself ready to take on the capitalist menace? By the end of the recording session, he was a broken man, slumped over his cello in despair. It was then that Veinus Morozov, avuncular and soon-to-retire cellist of the quartet, approached and laid a hand on his shoulder. Go to Andalusia, Morozov said. Find Pau Casals. You are not yet ready for Schubert, but he will teach you the art of it, the Tao of cello playing. And Rostropovich understood, and journeyed away from Russia to Casals's mountaintop dojo, arriving there after a year and a day and experiencing many unusual adventures. It was there that he started to learn that the Soviet paradise was not what it seemed. But that's a story for another time...


#3 - I2 (F2, B2) - +11

You said:
"They sound like they are having similar intonation problems. Once they get going, they seem a little better"
"Good to have a cure for Insomnia, at least."
"Nice sound and separation of voices, but not much drama or energy, especially in the middle section."
"this feels dangerously, absurdly fast. What sinks this for me is the soft, "nice" touch they give the central section. Why do the violins, in particular, insist on making this eruption sound so cutesy?"
"the central section is more resignating than angry, compared to the tension in the first part its reprise feels almost relaxed (tension should rise after the disturbing central section) overall very hushed and soft. Surely an interesting version."

It was
[asin]B009EJSUE6[/asin]
Vera Beths, Lisa Rautenberg (vn)
Steven Dann (va)
Kenneth Slowik, Anner Bylsma (vc)

This pioneering recording marks a milestone in the HIPP movement, being the first time a 'historically informed' recording used a late-nineteenth-century, typo-riddled version of the score with inaccurate dynamic markings rather than attempting to stay true to the composer's intentions. Beths and Bylsma went on to be the violin and cello soloists in the Tchaikovsky-Siloti cut edition of the 2nd Piano Concerto, whereas their longterm recital partner Jos van Immerseel expressed an intention to record the Bach/Czerny Well-Tempered Clavier on a fortepiano with sustain pedal (this project was later cancelled by Sony). The 'intonation issues' are believed to be accidental rather than a result of an attempt to stay true to period tuning, but canines in the amw household were unable to confirm this.


#2 - I3 (G3, D3) - +15.5

You said:
"Better intonation (though a couple places where they lose it just a hair - maddening). A bit harsh at times, but at least they kinda get it."
"Perfectly fine and therefore perfectly meh. But at least they noticed the tempo change at the 5 minute mark, unlike the previous two."
"Excellent sound and separation of voices, tempo is perfect, and that middle section finally has the drama and energy missing in the other two.  Intonation in the cellos is just a little wobbly and occasionally raw in the third section"
"I like the inner detail to the outburst, and how vulnerable the violin is after the central section; I like the group's basic tempo choices. Limited dynamic range, possibly a 30-40 year old recording, is the biggest negative I have."
"not  mysterious at the beginning (the inner voices are a little too much in the bckgrd for me, vibrato in the first violin a little intrusive). Quite dramatic central section (but here the sound is somewhat muddy?) In the 3rd part again the inner voices relegated to background. Seems a little uninvolved, Violin - Cello sound neither like a dialogue nor like disturbed, scared, pleading voices."

It was
[asin]B00000I0L8[/asin]
Emerson Quartet
Mstislav Rostropovich (vc)

Rostropovich's grueling training course under Casals, and his final, triumphant attainment of the title of grand master, are facts well known to history; as is his cello ELO, surpassing all but Fournier, Casals and Tortelier, and his defection to the West and renouncement of communism. What's less well known is the role that Rostropovich and the Schubert Quintet played in the fall of the Soviet Union. In America, Rostropovich became acquainted with the Emerson Quartet, who had been covertly working to undermine the Russians for over a decade. They were the young hotshots with nothing to lose; he was the grizzled insider who could talk them past the Iron Curtain. In December 1990, shortly after they had successfully brought down the Berlin Wall, Rostropovich and the Emersons gathered under cover of night on what had once been the border between the two Germanys to record this work. As news of the forthcoming release spread, the already unstable Soviet Republics began breaking away, and its 1992 appearance in stores corresponded with the dissolution of Czechoslovakia and the first shots of the Yugoslav wars. The world had been changed forever. For the better? Rostropovich wasn't sure. He never recorded the Quintet again.

The rest:

#1 I4 - +18.65


Group J

Pretty clear-cut here: two winners, two losers. Even if I were doing only scores from this round, though, the only way the second winner in this group would be advancing is by increasing the finals pool from five to six recordings. Again, you can go and listen to the whole thing now if you want. I do highly recommend it.

#4 - J3 (F1, D6) - +4.5

You said:
"Even with some verrry long pauses as the ABA transitions from B to A, this is just a very fast performance."
"I actually liked the portamento in J4 and especially J3."
"J3 is not only too fast, but lacking the feeling put forth from the previous two."
"very inclined to big dynamic crescendi where other versions just swell gently and subside again."

It was
[asin]B000025EIZ[/asin]
Hagen Quartet
Heinrich Schiff (vc)

The recording that prompted the Orpheus Quartet's dramatic response was actually made a few years earlier, in 1991, in the Austrian mountains. The Hagens approached the project with their usual degree of intensity; Heinrich Schiff recalls: "Every day was the same—rise at four-thirty prompt, outdoor communal shower under buckets of ice water, then a brisk eight-kilometer run up and down the nearby Schafberg with our instruments strapped to our back. A few minutes to wolf down a breakfast of toasted organic muesli and goat's milk yogurt, then five hours of recording, then a break for lunch, which we usually skipped in order to do calisthenics." Schiff estimated that the entire project involved fourteen days like this, suffused with high-calorie, low-fat vegetarian foodstuffs, vigorous exercise, outdoor rehearsals and at least one recording session during which the three Hagen siblings disrobed in order to encourage Schiff and Rainer Schmidt to 'release their inhibitions'.


#3 - J4 (F3, C6) - +10.25

You said:
"The 1st violinist sounds like one of the star fiddlers from 50-odd years ago, someone like Stern or Milstein - bright tone, rapid vibrato, plenty of portamenti.
It's good of its type, but tastes have changed"
"I own this disc and I've listened to it, maybe twice, maybe once and a half, not very exciting."
"I just thought the vibrato in J1 and especially J4 was overbearing"
"super-hyper-romantic, very old-fashioned in many ways, with vibrato out the wazoo. I do actually like it. I do!"

It was
[asin]B000000SNN[/asin]
Borodin Quartet
Misha Milman (vc)

It's interesting to notice how GMG has apparently decided that Shostakovich proficiency is mutually incompatible with Schubert—note the eliminations of Taneyev, Emerson and Hagen above, along with Fitzwilliam last round. This may seem like a non sequitur—what do Shostakovich and Schubert have to do with one another?—but actually they're not so dissimilar. It's interesting to note that both Shostakovich and Schubert composed 15 string quartets; that their piano quintets both have five movements; that both became obsessed with death towards the latter part of their respective careers; that both preferred orange Jell-O to any other flavour. And certainly the Borodin Quartet here are eager to play up the similarities, presenting Schubert's final chamber work in an angst-ridden, hyper-romantic version that could well have come from Shostakovich's pen had he been born a century earlier, in Austria maybe, and died of typhoid fever in his thirties. Their claims, however, that Schubert encoded a secret message criticising Emperor Franz Joseph II into the trio of the scherzo are so far unsubstantiated.


#2 - J1 (G6, D8) - +11.6

You said:
"I like this one a lot. The central outburst is slightly less than ideal re: dynamic contrast, but the surrounding music is gorgeous"
"After my full listen I wrote that J1 had a nice ethereal sense at the closing, but I wasn't able to hear that in spot-listening"
"full of emotion and expertly performed"
"J1 is very slow, languid, not much vibrato which is unusual at this slow pace.  Must be very difficult to play.  The recording favours the cello too much, and sounds a bit muffled, the cello sounding as if plucked by a wooly mitten - maybe gut strings?  The middle section maintains the slow pace and sounds a bit laboured, but I heard a lovely detail towards the end of this, in the cello counter-melody, that I've never noticed before - that made me sit up!"

It was
[asin]B0000021F8[/asin]
Leipzig Quartet
Michael Sanderling (vc)

The Leipzigers focus almost all of the weight of their recording on the Adagio, delivering a searing performance; but one that, due to the slower tempi adopted for the other three movements, probably works better in isolation. The classic MD&G sound is in evidence (as approvingly noted by Cato earlier). Actually though, the main reason for me to recommend this is as part of an excellent box of the complete Schubert string quartets and quintets. The Leipzigers apparently committed themselves to recording every note Schubert put down for string quartet. While it's hard to ascertain what they actually think of, say, the recently-discovered 2-bar fragment D 1088e no. 3, one bar of which has been partially destroyed by water damage, or the string quartet fragment D 1142a reconstructed by Brian Newbould from indentations left by Schubert's pen on the sheet of manuscript paper below it, they are certainly performed with as much conviction as 'Death and the Maiden' is. Hard not to recommend.

The rest:

#1 J2 - +23.33

[amw]

Links have now been sent out. Let me know if you wanted one and didn't get it.

[aukhawk]

Another great read, thanks.
Well there went my preferred version out of the four recordings I have (the Orpheus) but I've never thought it was perfect - I do think there's a fair chance I'll like one or more of the finalists better - though I can't see it being J2 or H3.
How many Schubert 5-tets do DG have in their catalogue?  That's four gone in one round - six overall!
Links received thanks.

[Jo498]

DG has one or even two with the Amadeus, Melos/Rostropowitsch, Emerson/Rostropowitsch, Hagen/Schiff, LaSalle/$cellist and the Taneyev/Rostro I had not really been aware of and this is not an original DG recording.

Does anyone know the LaSalle? It's not exactly their type of repertoire, but they are often interesting and enlightening.

Of the eliminated ones I have the Orpheus and the Hagen, but the latter was not in the groups I listened to. I rated the Orpheus quite high, maybe higher than I remembered. I used to find them very good but somewhat "neutral".

According to my ratings, I should probably put Taneyev and Archibudelli on my wishlist

[amw]

How many Schubert 5-tets do DG have in their catalogue?  That's four gone in one round - six overall!
Links received thanks.

DG has 7 I know of: Amadeus/Pleeth II & Amadeus/Cohen, Emerson/Slava, Hagen/Schiff, LaSalle/Harrell, Melos/Slava and Konzerthaus/Günther Weiss. Taneyev/Slava is originally a Melodiya recording, so perhaps it ended up being unreleased due to Melodiya wanting it back. It's currently in limbo; we can hope for a CD release (and, ideally, remastering—as my LP transfer shows, there's a lot of analog hiss) but it seems quite unlikely unless we collectively petition DG to get around to it. Or at least give it back to Melodiya who can then issue it in a Taneyev Quartet mega box. (Ok that'll never happen, but a girl can dream)

Sony's probably got more, due to all the labels it's swallowed up over the years. I know of 9 offhand: Marlboro, Stern/Ma/etc, Cleveland/Ma, Casals/Stern/etc, L'Archibudelli, Juilliard/Greenhouse I & II, Heifetz/Piatigorsky/etc, Guarneri/Rose.

Does anyone know the LaSalle? It's not exactly their type of repertoire, but they are often interesting and enlightening.

I've heard it. Seem to recall it's very sluggish and with many intonational/ensemble issues, which I wouldn't have really expected from the LaSalle. Came across as a bit dull. Can check though.

[Jo498]

This doesn't sound very enticing, you don't have to check, I guess I'll skip it (could have got it cheaply, but I already have a dozen or so and a few more attractive ones on the wish list).

Konzerthaus/Weiss is probably originally a Westminster recording. I wonder if DG might have another historical one in the vaults (maybe with the Koeckert?)

What I have on my shelves (not all bought "on purpose", some came with boxes, others with piles of cheaply bought used stuff)

Budapest/B.Heifetz (Biddulph)
Casals et al./Prades (Sony)
Heifetz et al. (RCA)
Weller/Gürtler (Decca box)
Marlboro (Sony)
ABQ/Schiff (EMI)
Tatrai/Szilvasy (Capriccio (Hungaroton/white label))
Petersen/Sanderling (Capriccio)
Orpheus/Wispelwey (channel)
Hagen/Schiff (DG)
Vellinger/Greenhouse (BBC)
Vogler/Müller-Schott (Hänssler Profil)
starry pickup ensemble in the box from Vogt's "Spannungen" festival (Tetzlaff, Faust etc. Pergamenshikov is one of the cellists)
Villa Musica/Naxos (but I culled this already, might give it another listen; solid, but  very "neutral" and not all that interesting, I think)

wish list: Melos/Rostropovitch, Kagan et al. (Live Classics), maybe Archibudelli. But I think I have enough and should maybe get rid of some I already have...

[aukhawk]

Based on comments so far, I'll certainly be investigating   Quatuor Diotima.
Of the samples I've heard that (by my reckoning) I'll be hearing again in the final, that is B7 B8 F7 H1 H3 H4 J2 - I had reservations about all of those (even though I did award two of them a thumbs-up) - and in most of those cases my misgivings were of a similar nature (too romantic for my taste, or recorded in too big an acoustic). So on reflection I'm not sure the final outcome will have me reaching for my credit card.  Still, here's hoping! 

Some non-musical curiosities - by my reckoning:
* 4 of the 5 finalists were slugging it out together in Group E
* conversely, no finalists came through from Group G

* Slot 3 in a group is the place to be - no-one was eliminated from slot 3 in the first 2 rounds.
* conversely, everyone in slot 4 was eliminated in round 2, and overall slot 4 has the most casualties.

* purely looking at the file sizes, you could throw a pocket handkerchief over the 5 finalists.   

Yes I know - too much time on my hands today ...

[aukhawk]

Send me another group - this one's rubbish!   

After one pass, the one out of 5 that is currently my clear front runner - when I check my jottings - in a previous round I marked this as 'Meh' and 'stodgy' 

Conversely, the one I have dismissed this time as 'dull', 'prosaic' - I've met in 2 previous rounds where it got a 'thumbs-up' and a 'yes'   

Time to shuffle the deck and start again 

[kishnevi]

Maybe because you're hearing it in toto now, and not piece by piece?

Or I suppose it could be the weather.

[aukhawk]

Could have been something I ate!

Anyway, "the scores are in" ... [edited to de-white, since no-one else is bothering, fair enough in the final]

K1 is ... romantic, but with a light touch that is very appealing.  The first two movements go very well, though the all-important Adagio starts out on the quick side.  Overall none of the movements - or sections within movements - fares badly - neither is any 'best in test'. This consistency is coupled with a lively recording which features the cello in a way that borders on the artificial. That sound quality caught my ear in the Scherzo round where I marked it down, but here, taken overall, it offers more pros than cons.
A strong contender.

K2 is an unashamedly romantic interpretation, even down to the recording style - which I described in an earlier round as "unfortuntely in a large acoustic ... not ideal".  There is vibrato, there is sweetness, there is the occasional mannered moment (which I could live without).
Overall for me it starts better than it ends, I like the 1st movement, and I just love the 2nd, which got my thumbs-up in the previous round as well.  Against my better judgement.  After that the Scherzo is on the edge of being rushed, and the Trio and final Allegretto unremarkable but nothing wrong with them.
Another strong contender. 

K3  I liked this in round 1 - it seemed romantic there, but in a later round I called this the 'no frills' version - it walks the line between two approaches leaning more to the classical, for me.  Listening again it sounds a bit prosaic especially in the slower music, indeed most of the time it's just a little bit dull, at least compared with K1 or K2.
The Scherzo is the best in this group for me, not rushed, clearly articulated and greatly helped by the close recording - but even here another point of view might describe this playing as 'too safe'.
The recording is very good as long as you don't mind the dryness - lots of detail, the closeness very involving.
I really want to like this one - but I think the competition is too stiff.

K4 in an earlier round I marked this bottom of a very good group while still giving it a 'yes' - just.  A romantic approach, there's a lot of good here, but ultimately that febrile vibrato just gets on my nerves.  Predictably the faster last 2 movements go much better, but by then it's too late. It is a good recording in a very natural acoustic.
Not really worth a 2nd listen (although I did). 

K5 this I would describe as HIP-ish without perhaps going all the way.  There are very occasional, very slight, intonation issues.  Sadly, it mostly just sounds dull, and in the louder passages positively rough.  In the all-important Adagio, I'm troubled (as I was in the previous round) by a perceived lumpiness in the string trio 'bed'.  Nobody else seemed bothered by it.
The final Allegretto is terrific though, a revelation with a stonking back-beat that no-one else really attempts.  Easily my favourite final movement in this group.
The recording is OK but perhaps the least good of the five - dry, a bit compressed-sounding which may contribute to the impression of roughness in the louder passages.  But the cello is nicely picked out.
I'd like to like it but - final movement excepted - I don't.

It's very close at the top, but my final ranking is:
this:  K1 > K2 > K3 > K5 > K4


I don't think any of these would displace my current favourite in my collection, which is the Orpheus (aka H2/G2/A2).

My fantasy 5-tet strictly from the samples I've heard in this blind testing:
1.Allegro  K3  (I'd also take the Orpheus here, but I didn't actually catch them in round 1)
2.Adagio  K2
3.Scherzo-Trio-Scherzo K3-F2 -K3
(we know F2 is Bylsma & Co, who inhabit a slightly different universe pitch-wise!)
4.Allegretto  K5
There would be some hasty re-arranging of the seating, between movts 1 & 2, and back again for 3 !! 

[amw]

Thanks! Well, you're our first voter. Your votes are actually almost exactly what I thought they'd be, apart from K5 which I would have suspected to place higher.

(If you want recommendations from the eliminated: Fitzwilliam/van Kampen [don't think you heard it at all], Leipzig/Sanderling [your top pick in its group round 3] and possibly Marlboro [eliminated in round 1] may be more to your taste than our current finalists. But I can't promise anything.)

It is interesting how... um... "resonant", shall we say, the acoustics are for a lot of our finalists. Clearly that's another concern along with tempo that has impacted the results.

Hmm... fantasy 5tet?
I know I'm the organiser and not supposed to reveal my preferences but whatever:

Allegro ma non troppo - Marlboro | Orpheus | K1
Adagio - Taneyev | Lindsay
Scherzo-Trio-Scherzo - Bylsma & Co. (K4-Fitzwilliam-K4 will suffice if period instruments are unavailable)
Allegretto - Taneyev | Emerson | Marlboro

[aukhawk]

(If you want recommendations from the eliminated: Fitzwilliam/van Kampen [don't think you heard it at all], Leipzig/Sanderling [your top pick in its group round 3] and possibly Marlboro [eliminated in round 1] may be more to your taste than our current finalists. But I can't promise anything.)

Thanks, I'll give them a listen. That Leipzig would be another one where the cello is a bit over-cooked in the sound balance - which is where my head and my gut have a slight difference of opinion!  But yes I agree that one had potential for me. 
Though to be honest I'm all Schubert-ed out now, for about the next decade.  I did download Quatuor Diotima and that sent me to sleep nicely! 

[amw]

Though to be honest I'm all Schubert-ed out now, for about the next decade.

That was my reaction after listening to the ~50 versions I trialled before starting this comparison. That much listening can be emotionally and spiritually draining. But already, only 4 months later, I'm finding the occasional D956 listen quite enjoyable, and no longer have the urge to criticise all the minute details of each one I hear. Time will heal this wound, no fear.

[aukhawk]

(If you want recommendations from the eliminated: Fitzwilliam/van Kampen [don't think you heard it at all], Leipzig/Sanderling [your top pick in its group round 3] and possibly Marlboro [eliminated in round 1] may be more to your taste than our current finalists. But I can't promise anything.)

That Leipzig was hard to find (as a download - and no it didn't occur to me to look in HD Tracks) but I picked up a 'used' CD for peanuts via Amazon.  Of course I don't have a CD player any more, but it's remarkable how often a recording can be bought more cheaply this way, than by downloading.
Very enjoyable, thanks for pointing me at it. 
Another 'resonant' recording - which I hadn't picked up on when listening to the Adagio.  I thought I heard some muffed notes especially in the first 5 minutes - went back for a 2nd listen to that bit and they'd disappeared! - it was as though the musicians had dived straight in without warming up first.  At least, indicating a 'one take' recording philosophy.  I notice MDG is touted as an 'audiophile' label - I'd never come across it before and had assumed (from the cover screenshot) that it was a mid-price DGG issue ... 

[amw]

MDG has their 'trademark' 'realistic' distant-miked sound, sort of like sitting in the circle of a large hall. (Cato also remarked favourably on the recording's 'resonance' early on I think.) Surprised you didn't know of them though, lots of worthwhile recordings there, many of them HIP influenced to some degree

- the Leipzig Quartet's Haydn, Beethoven, Schubert, Brahms, Schoenberg, Lutosławski, Widmann... (etc) Rapidly becoming one of my favourite ensembles in general
- Trio Parnassus in Beethoven, Hummel, Brahms, Lalo etc
- Hardy Rittner playing Brahms on period instruments
- Jörg Demus playing Schumann on period instruments
- Steffen Schleiermacher for all your Cage, Schoenberg, Stockhausen, Webern (etc) related needs
- Christian Zacharias's Mozart piano concerto cycle, possibly the finest available on modern instruments
- Lots of lesser-known but surprisingly good repertoire: Reicha, Rheinberger, Burgmüller, Grechaninov, Reger (the most acquired of acquired tastes), Onslow, Clementi, C. Graupner, A. Romberg, Foerster... etc. Definitely worth exploring.

Glad you liked it, and are finding a taste for Schubert again... faster than I did it seems

Hasn't been much activity here lately. How is everyone else's listening going?

[Jay F]

Hasn't been much activity here lately. How is everyone else's listening going?

I've listened to three complete recordings, and picked the one I like most. One movement at a time was much simpler. I don't know if I'm actually capable of comparing five complete versions of four movements taken together. At the point when I stopped, late one night, it had begun to feel like an impossible task a Grimm Brothers princess has to complete by dawn or she'll be turned into a cello--a ticklish cello.