Haydn, Schubert & Widmann: String Quartets (SACD, Channel Classics)

This is ‘Vivere’. Not exactly a cheerful disc – all three compositions refer in various ways to death. This is reflected in the key (D minor is the key of death), in the opposite number of the Maiden, and finally even literally, in the fact that cellist Geneviève ‘dies’ before the end of the album. For us, however, to record this dramatic repertoire is to offer an ode to life. ‘Vivere’ – for by listening to this sombre music one realises how wonderful life can be. Performed by the Ragazze Quartet, four young women in the midst of life. The Ragazze Quartet is a young, Dutch string quartet, remarkable for its musical enthusiasm, talent, versatility and presentation. Its versatility in particular is unusual within the world of chamber music.