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Donald Macleod explores a period of turmoil for Schubert, when he composed his iconic Rosamunde Quartet.

Franz Schubert鈥檚 short life spanned a crucial period in music history as the elegant, classical stylings of Mozart and Haydn were giving way to the drama and passion of the romantic era. Schubert came to embody that transformation, in music that was all about personal expression and individual inspiration. This week, Donald Macleod throws the spotlight on Schubert鈥檚 chamber music and explores the stories around five key works for small ensembles.

In the years 1823-24, Franz Schubert had to come to terms with his deteriorating health caused by venereal disease. There were periods when he couldn鈥檛 compose at all. He was invited to return to Count Esterhazy of Galanta鈥檚 estate in Zseliz but Schubert couldn鈥檛 find the peace and happiness he鈥檇 experienced there on his previous visit. He was frequently seized with the notion that he鈥檇 taken poison and his mental and physical health fluctuated throughout this period. It was during this turbulent time that Schubert produced another of his most iconic chamber works, the Rosamunde Quartet, which resonates with a pervading quality of sadness.

Rosamunde, D797 (The Full Moon Shines)
Ileana Cotrubas, soprano
Staatskapelle Dresden
Willi Boskovsky, conductor

Die sch枚ne M眉llerin, D795 (Das Wandern, Ungeduld & Trockne Blumen)
Jonas Kaufmann, tenor
Helmut Deutsch, piano

String Quartet No 13 in A minor, D804 鈥淩osamunde鈥� (Allegro ma non troppo & Andante)
Borodin Quartet

Sonata for piano duet in C, Grand Duo D812 (Scherzo & Allegro Vivace)
Daniel Barenboim, piano
Radu Lupu, piano

Produced by Luke Whitlock, for 主播大秀 Wales