Schubert’s final quartet, although composed over a period of only a few days, is justly considered his best offering in the literature, despite the fact that it generally takes a back seat to the more popular Rosamunde and Death and the Maiden quartets. The Prazak Quartet is one of the finest chamber ensembles of our generation, and their take on this monumental work easily stands alongside reference performances such as that by the Emerson Quartet, and the resplendent sound from Praga Digitals easily surpasses that seminal performance in technical terms. The accompanying String Trios, performed by the Beethoven String Trio (comprised of Prazak members Michael Kanka and Josef Kluson, along with violinist Pavel Hula), make an attractive addition to the package.
These chamber recordings from Praga Digitals offer the current “gold standard” in the recorded literature today, and are not to be missed. The performances are definitive, and are captured in magnificent, you-are-there sound that is unsurpassed in the current classical music environment. I can’t recommend these performances highly enough, and I’d suggest checking out Praga’s impressive back catalog of releases. Five stars!
— Tom Gibbs
