FRANZ SCHUBERT Quintet in C major, D. 956
Ray Ushikubo, violin
Takumi Taguchi, violin
Beatrice Chen, viola
John Lee, cello
Jiayin He, cello

Performed on Friday, February 22, 2019
Field Concert Hall, Curtis Institute of Music, Philadelphia

Franz Schubert lived to be just 31 years old, but he was surprisingly prolific and is widely regarded as one of the most important composers in history. Already writing masterpieces at age 17, he would go on to create a body of chamber, orchestral, and vocal work (including 600 perfect songs) that have inspired music lovers ever since.

Just months before his death, Schubert wrote the String Quintet in C major. Whether or not he knew he was dying is the source of some speculation. But the piece has been interpreted as a foreshadowing of his end—from the first movement’s almost otherworldly and unexpected changes in harmonies, through a slow movement that starts in total serenity and shifts to what sounds like “rage against the dying of the light.” The third and fourth movements pick up momentum, to finish in a grand Hungarian-influenced finale.

It sometimes seems that Schubert could never catch a break in his short life. This masterpiece was turned down by his publisher, who was much more interested in the composer’s short piano works and songs. The piece wasn’t published until 1853, 25 years after Schubert died and after nearly everyone who knew him was gone, as well.

—David Serkin Ludwig

Learn more about this work: https://youtu.be/ZeY0pns8SQQ

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