Franz Schubert’s “Trout” Quintet was performed at Drew University in Madison by (from left) violinist Julian Rhee, violist Paul Neubauer, pianist Wu Han, cellist Sterling Elliott and double bassist Anthony Manzo.
Before a capacity crowd, Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center explored the piano quartet and quintet repertoire through pieces by W.F. Bach and Mozart before culminating in Franz Schubert’s “Trout” Quintet with satisfying contrapuntal textures and rich harmonic language.
The March 15 concert was the third and final installment of the “CMS at the Concert Hall at Drew University” 2024-25 series, held at the intimate Dorothy Young Center for the Arts venue in Madison.
The CMS-Drew partnership goes back to the 2006-07 season. One of the 11 musical entities of the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts and the largest chamber music producer in North America, CMS has been led by co-artistic directors David Finckel (a cellist who grew up in Madison) and pianist Wu Han since 2004. Their mission is to bring chamber music of the highest caliber to as many people and places as possible.
New Jersey was the second stop of the “Schubert’s Trout Quintet” program, which is touring nationally. Designed by Wu Han, it began on March 13 in Florida and includes 13 performances in 12 United States cities. It will wrap with performances at New York’s Alice Tully Hall, March 28 and 30; the latter date is already sold out.
From left, violinist Arnaud Sussmann, cellist Sterling Elliott and violist Paul Neubauer.
Wu Han, along with seasoned veterans — violinist Arnaud Sussmann, violist Paul Neubauer and double bassist Anthony Manzo — played alongside early-career artists, violinist Julian Rhee and cellist Sterling Elliott, both of whom are in CMS’ Bowers Program, a competitive three-year residency program for gifted, up-and-coming ensembles and individuals.
An effervescent Wu Han spoke to the audience before the show. She noted that the opening work, Mozart’s arrangement (1782) of W. F. Bach’s Fugue in F minor, was the key to unlocking the program because the fugue was the perfect way to train the ear to recognize the different voices of the musicians.
Written by the often overlooked oldest son of J.S. Bach, the highly melodic piece highlights the art of the fugue, music written for several imitative parts that enter alternatively and come together to create a harmonic whole.
Cellist Elliott, who performed as a guest soloist in New Jersey Symphony’s “Schumann’s Cello Concerto” concert in 2023, made a fine ensemblist, maximizing dynamic textures with clear registration.
On violin, Sussman played as invitingly and persuasively as he did at last year’s season finale, with masterly finger action, free and flowing.
Neubauer on viola boosted the contrasts with nimble articulations.
From left, violinists Arnaud Sussmann and Julian Rhee, double bassist Anthony Manzo and violist Paul Neubauer.
Rhee on violin and Manzo on double bass joined for the second piece, Mozart’s Adagio and Fugue in C minor for Strings. Originally composed for two pianos and later reworked for strings, it exemplifies Mozart’s Baroque fugue-writing skills, blended seamlessly with his own more Classical style.
Wu Han said that when the work was composed in 1788, Mozart’s wife Constanze had been suffering from a protracted and almost fatal illness, and you can hear the Austrian composer’s sadness come through the notes.
The musicians gave the work a sense of hushed fury and played with tenebrous shading, building to the finale’s deeply felt forte and vigorous tremolo. The richness of the low strings added gravity. In the softer passages, sfumato shading created blurred textures. Manzo coaxed tender pianissimos and shifts from his bow, and Sussman and Rhee revealed some of the sunnier but restrained tonalities in the harmonies.
The grave piece gave way to a spirited, vivace Quartet in E-flat major (1786), written in the sonata form with two outer, fast movements and a profound, slower middle.
The work is the second piano quartet of a set of three pieces that Mozart began writing for a Viennese publisher. After turning in the first piece, the publisher cancelled his contract, saying they were too difficult to play by amateur pianists. Mozart took offense and continued composing the series in protest, with each piece more difficult than the next.
Wu Han seemed to channel Mozart’s spirit of defiance by pushing the piano quartet genre to the limit and giving the work a dramatic flair more characteristic of his grand piano concertos. She preserved the intimacy of the chamber music art form by bringing out all the contrapuntal chromaticism while keeping a watchful eye on balance.
The result was illuminating; eminently upbeat and bubbly through its various themes and tonalities, even in the richer setting of the lyrical Larghetto. In the witty and vivid Allegretto, she and Sussmann exchanged supportive smiles, offering a jaunty little duet of ornamental grace notes.
Layers of dialogue came through Elliott’s cheerfulness in the rippling, spiccato passages, which contrasted nicely with Neubauer’s steadfast, rhythmic verve. All voices were fluidly conversational and warmly convincing throughout, setting the stage for the Schubert cornerstone.
While many of Schubert’s major chamber pieces have a bittersweet quality, the “Trout” Quintet in A major (1819) is pure joy and happiness, hope and beauty.
The work’s unique instrumentation, which includes the double bass and only one violin, allows the musicians to take on new roles and play in combinations outside of the standard chamber formats. With the double bass handling the lower registers, the piano remains in the higher realms without needing to make large chordal progressions. Cello, too, is left free to explore lusher, melodic territory instead of staying in an anchoring role.
The famous fourth movement, the Andantino, is the key to the work with its set of variations on the “Die Forelle” melody. The musicians added their own individualistic voices, taking turns to play the theme and its variation shifts in lovely contrasts, all of which helped to create the image of the trout rippling through the water.
Rhee’s brightly toned violin and deft finger work gave a piquancy and urgency to the piece. After a breakneck first movement, the Andante brought Neubauer’s intelligent turn of phrase to the forefront, shaping the melody and counterpoint with warm lyricism while exploring its lines with grace.
The Scherzo was playful and lighthearted with an impeccable rhythm and dynamic texture from Manzo, who kept the ensemble rooted in the deeper registers. Elliott, with rich and pure tonalities, added little accents here and there for a bit of freshness.
The Allegro giusto finale, with its fierceness of tone and pace, made for an energetic and vigorous conclusion; Manzo even shed some hairs from his large bow in the process. Wu Han brought cheerful expressiveness in free and natural cadences.
Here were five individuals playing perfectly in union, in an interpretation that was more notable for its sparkle and brio than for its polished beauty.
Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center will perform “Schubert’s Trout Quintet” at Alice Tully Hall in New York, March 28 at 7:30 p.m. and March 30 at 5 p.m. Visit chambermusicsociety.org.
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