One of the greatest chamber scores ever written by Schubert was composed as his String Quartet No. 13 in February 1824. This proved to be a distressing time for the composer who had grave health problems at that time.
The quartet reuses themes from the composer’s incidental music D797 to the play, “Rosamunde”.
In the extended opening Allegrowe hear melancholic yearning alongside a brooding undercurrent.
The following lyrical Andante features a tender lilting melody. Beneath all this lyricism there’s a sense of uncomfortable foreboding.
The Menuetto is similar to a slow ländle with the players establishing a mood of brooding wistfulness tinged with melancholy.
the Hungarian inflected Finale is joyfully optimistic yet intermixed with earnest episodes.
Here is the music as played by the very young Hagen Quartet of Salzburg:
