How did I land on Schubert’s Piano Quintet in A Major this week? In the past, I have listened to pieces I’ve never heard before, like Franck’s Symphony in D Minor, but most have been works I’ve never even heard of before, like Monteverdi’s “L’Orfeo” or Aaron Copland’s “Symphony for Organ and Orchestra.” I had no idea that Copland wrote a symphony or organ and orchestra. Who knew? For this week, though, I thought I’d listen to a piece that I have heard of, but one that I’ve not ever listened to. Schubert’s “The Trout” fit the bill. I’ve always heard about this piece, “The Trout,” but I’ve never actually listened to it or heard it at a concert. Of course, there is a chance that I’ve heard it play on the airwaves of a classical radio station, but if so, I don’t remember it. However, as you can see from my rating below, now that I have listened to it, I loved it.
The opening melody of the first movement (noted in the purple box below) lies between rippling triplet figures on the piano (noted in the red boxes below), an arpeggio motif that is then traded between the instruments as the melody flows from one player to another. In addition, a reliance on triplets throughout the movement keeps the mood brisk and buoyant with occasional shifts to sixteenth notes to further the piece’s effervescence. The second movement, marked andante, sustains the buoyancy of the piece with continued triplets and a pattern of sixteenth notes with dotted eighth notes that gives the movement a lilting bounce, and the third movement, a scherzo, maintains the energy of the piece with an upbeat tempo, staccato quarter notes, and an effectively jovial use of sforzandos. Of course, the fourth movement features variations on Schubert’s earlier song “Die Forelle,” and though the third variation is the most high-spirited of the set, the final variation brings in a graceful accompaniment line from “Die Forelle” utilizing five sixteenth notes of a double triplet (the first of six counts being a rest) followed by two eighth notes which evokes a rippling, sparkling brook to be sure. There’s a dramatic twist or two in the final movement brought on by some accentuated chords, a few minor tones and some powerful dynamics. Still, the piece maintains its brilliance and bounce thanks to those ever-present triplets and playful rhythms with dotted eighth and sixteenth notes.
I thoroughly enjoyed Schubert's Piano Quintet in A Major, and listening to it certainly brought me to the realization that once this pandemic is over and things get back to normal (or as normal as possible), I need to attend more Chamber music concerts. : )
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A New Hope:As the header above says, each week I will listen to a piece of classical music that I've never heard before, and then I will report out what I thought about it. Archives
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