In his early years, Franz Lachner (1803-1890) was one of Schubert’s friends: ‘Schubert and I, we spend most of our time together working on new compositions. We are best friends, play our works for one another in the morning and open-heartedly discuss every possible subject in depth.’ The Third String Quartet in E flat major, opus 77, is a prominent example of Lachner’s great composing skills.
The String Quartet in f minor, by Robert Volkmann (1815-1883), came into being about fifteen years after Lachner’s piece. It is one of his most successful works in this genre.
Franz Lachner – String Quartet in E flat major, opus 77 (1843)
1. Allegretto, 2. Minuetto. Allegretto, 3. Andante, 4. Allegro vivace
performers: Rodin-Quartett
CD: Amati Records
Robert Volkmann – String Quartet no 5, in f minor (1858)
1. Allegro, 2. Adagio, 3. Allegro energico – Andantino – Allegro molto – Presto – Prestissimo
Performers: Mannheim String Quartet
CD: CPO
