Schubert: String Quartet D877; Berg: String Quartet Op.3

Schubert s late masterpiece, the 15th and final String Quartet, was composed in 1826. Although its first movement was performed at a Vienna Musikverein concert devoted to his music, he could not find anyone to publish it. It displays an almost Beethovenian profundity, and is a dramatic departure from the two previous song-based quartets that had proved popular. The writing is assured and the harmonies audacious. It is a dark, rather introverted work, full of passionate outbursts and drama. Berg s Quartet Op.3 was premiered in 1911 towards the end of his studies with Schoenberg. It was badly received and baffled listeners and performers alike. Like the Schubert G major, it displays daring harmonies and a remarkable technical assurance. This is the Kuss Quartet s debut on Onyx.