# Schubert - String Quartet 10 D.87 'Household' (SQ review)



## Merl (Jul 28, 2016)

Given the nickname 'Haushaltung' (Household), due to its lower technical demands and popularity amongst amateurs playing at home, the 10th was written when Schubert was just 16 but it contains some exemplary melodious music and has remained very popular since. This is borne out by the high number of recordings (over 40) of it.
It's unusual in that Schubert puts the Scherzo (prestissimo), usually the third movement in a four-movement piece, second and then follows with an adagio and a joyride of a final movement. With so many recordings I can afford to be a bit more selective in recommended recordings but there are many excellent recordings of this quite exquisite work, as you will see.

A live performance by the Quatuor Modigliani below.






Recommended

Leipziger - relaxed, tender
Auryn - Well crafted
Kodaly - safe
Smetana (live) - quirky
Verdi - stylish
Coull - quick
Panocha - classy, sweet
Mandelring - nuanced but fun
Sorrel - daring, rushed
Aria - singing, lyrical
Alinde - a little light in execution.

*Hugely recommended*

Modigliani - nicely weighty but a little too slow in outers. Otherwise excellent.
*Diogenes* - one of the best all-rounders here for a group who keep it simple with style.
*Belcea* - the Belceas play this as though they love it. Such great articulation across all movements
*Henschel* - this brightly-recorded, lighter feel, fine account is really well played.
*Italiano* - one of the slower recordings in the slow movements but the dynamics and ensemble is everything.
*Hugo Wolf* - fine account with a lingering sweet tone.
*Ygdrasil* - some vibrant ensemble here, played with great care and attention.
*ABQ* - live account crackling with energy, power and precision.
*Taneyev* - gotta love the highly individual style of the idiomatic Taneyevs here.
*Melos* - the Melos don't hang about and their control of rhythm and phrasing is second to none.
*Borodin* - class playing and a sustained concentration that gives this such a compelling flow.
*Brandis* - this Orfeo release is just lovely and far better recorded and realised than their rather safe but recommendable late quartets on Nimbus.
*Talich* - Broad final movement but gorgeous playing throughout. The quality of ensemble and sweet tone takes this up a level.
*Zemlinsky* - really well-honed performance which mirrors the Melos' no-nonsense approach.

*Very Special

Van Kuijk* - those raspy violins sound so good and slow movements are especially moving. The recording is demonstration class.
*Mosaiques* - usual period performance of distinction. They nail the scherzo and Allegro in this totally committed performance.
*Takacs* - quick but so exciting. The final movement is so energetic it's beguiling. I dare you not to love this highly-charged, dynamic early Takacs reading
*Casals* - playful, stylish and as much fun as the Takacs. This is ensemble playing of the highest calibre. The recording is close but sounds sensational.
*Hagen* - this quartet have a pull with me as when they hit these big, thick textures the music just lifts up. They do it at some time in every movement and it sounds stunning.

*Top Pick

Vogler*

There was something about this performance that had me from the off. The short scherzo and finale are both very special indeed. Amongst a group of outstanding recordings as above this one shone due to its intensity and phrasing. The amazing recorded sound helps too.


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