String quartet in D played by The Stratton String Quartet:
George Stratton (violin)
Edwin Virgo (violin)
Watson Forbes (viola)
John Moore (cello)
The String Quartet in D was Franck's last instrumental work designed on a large scale. It was written in 1889, a year before his death, and was received with enthusiasm on its first performance on April 19, 1890. The next day Franck said to his pupils: 'Well, the public is actually beginning to understand me.'
With the exception of the delicate and slick Scherzo, all the movements of this quartet are designed in an elaborate manner. The third movement is one of the most beautiful of all Franck's slow movements.