Quintet in A, Op. 114 (The Trout)
1 Allegro vivace. 2 Andante. 3 Scherzo: Presto. 4 Tema con variazioni : Andantino. 5 Allegro giusto played by The Philharmonic String Trio:
David Martin (violin)
Frederick Riddle (viola)
James Whitehead (violoncello) with James W. Merrett (double-bass) and John Wills (pianoforte)
In the summer of 1819, Schubert set off on a carefree holiday with * his friend Vogl. The trip began and ended at Steyr, a charming little town near Linz, and Schubert's letters written there are full of enthusiasm for the beauty of his surroundings, and for the happy company in which he was making so much music. It was for a group of the friends by whom he was surrounded that this quintet was written.
Here, as in the ' Death and the Maiden ' String Quartet, Schubert has built up one of the movements, the fourth, on a song of his own, 'Die Forelle' ('The Trout'). It begins with the song melody played simply by strings alone, and six variations on it follow.