Schubert Edition

Franz Schubert may have only lived 32 years, but there is no question that he packed a phenomenal amount into his lifetime, with around 600 of his total of nearly 1000 works composed before he was 21. It is astounding to think, given his reputation today as one of Western art's greatest figures, that only a very small proportion of his music was either performed or published in his day. Born in 1797, he was very much aware of the 'shadow' of Beethoven, another of the 'First Viennese School' (with which Schubert is often equated) and a composer who immeasurably expanded the expressive range of three major genres: the symphony, piano sonata and string quartet. And yet his doubts regarding how he was to follow this German composer's example proved unjustified; combining his phenomenal melodic gift with a powerful dramatic sense and command of large-scale structure, Schubert equally enhanced these three areas, bestowing on each a large body of compositions that are among today's most performed pieces of classical music.

The symphony, piano sonata and string quartet, therefore, are all included in this special collection, which details the majority of the composer's output through separating it into key sections. Joining the string quartets - of which the late D804, D810 are D887 are undoubtedly the most inspired - are a range of other chamber music treasures, including the famous String Quintet and 'Trout' Piano Quintet, the endearing large-scale Octet for wind and strings, and various duo works such as the Arpeggione Sonata. Though the sonatas dominate his piano literature, Schubert also excelled at composing shorter works for this instrument, such as the Impromptus, and a wonderful array of music for four hands is also included. Contributions to the realm of sacred choral music include six masses, the unfinished Lazarus (which Alfred Einstein believed far surpassed Wagner's Tannhäuser and Lohengrin as a step along the road to music drama) and the imposing Deutsche Messe, while the inclusion of the opera Alfonso und Estrella and the incidental music to Rosamunde on the set represents the handful of works Schubert wrote for the stage. Last, but by no means least, are Schubert's secular vocal works. Containing some of his most poignant and penetrative writing, and drawing on a vast range of authors - including Goethe, Schiller, Shakespeare and many of his close friends - these include part-songs, then a popular genre among amateur choruses, and a huge corpus of lieder, among which are such gems as Gretchen am Spinnrade and Der Tod und das Mädchen as well as the great song cycles Die schöne Müllerin, Winterreise and Schwanengesang.

That Schubert excelled in almost every genre akin to the period in which he lived is in no doubt. Spanning the length of his career, and featuring a wealth of acclaimed artists and ensembles - among them some of the composer's greatest interpreters, such as Alfred Brendel and Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau - this comprehensive box set, priced at a mere EUR60, is an exciting addition to Brilliant Classics' ever-expanding library of editions.

Other information:
- The most comprehensive Schubert Edition ever!
- A celebration of the Viennese genius, from the grand structures of the jubilant 9th symphony ("of heavenly length") to the morbid skeleton melodies of Winterreise, from the genial bonhomie of the Trout Quintet to the utter despair of Der Doppelgänger, from the virtuoso brilliance of the Wanderer Fantasy to the rustic simplicity of the Ländler.
- Schubert's music touches the heart directly, his deceptively simple melodies bring tears to the eyes, his wandering between the dark and the light symbolizes the universal condition humaine.
- Featuring numerous period-instrument and award-winning recordings. Booklet contains consummate notes on the composer and his oeuvre.