The feverish unease that pervades these late Schubert works, with their ambiguous shifts from major to minor, tremolo triplets and searing outbursts, is perfectly captured by the excellent Doric String Quartet in this latest in their series for Chandos. They attack the 1820 “Quartettsatz” in C minor with alarming intensity, flashing through its single movement with fiery determination, and maintain the same tension throughout the 50 minutes of the massive quartet in G major from 1826 (observing the often-cut repeat in the first movement). Their headlong rush through the dizzying key changes of the final allegro is a breathless treat. A standout recording of 2017 – and it’s still only January.
