Fitzwilliam String Quartet - Schubert: Late String Quartets - BBC Music Magazine

The Fitzwilliams lead us into a world of turmoil with the mighty String Quartet in G major. They craft a hugely imaginative soundscape, enjoying the rough scrape of bow on string as much as the teasing out of narrow, eerie timbres and the singing of heartfelt melodies. This is an original, often compelling performance. These musicians seamlessly integrate historically informed techniques such as an attractive portamento (sliding between notes) into their playing. Vibrato is meted out sparingly, resulting in an occasional whininess, and some moments of uneasy intonation. Still, there’s some impressive control of Schubert’s lengthy forms, some spine-chilling quiet playing and silvery, shimmering tremolos, the whole held together by excellent recording quality.