The Schubert Ensemble, led by Simon Blendis, performs a work for which it is justly well known, the ‘Trout’ Quintet by Schubert, coupling it with the same composer’s elegant Piano Trio No. 1 in B flat.

Composed in the Austrian country town of Steyr in 1819, ‘The Trout’, as it is commonly known, is one of Schubert’s most celebrated and enduring works. The apparent simplicity of the structures forms a framework for wonderfully inventive, beautifully contrasted material; the link between the music itself and the spacious, inspiring scenery which surrounded Schubert as he composed it is clear. A sparkling Scherzo, off-set by a rather coy Trio, leads into the Theme and Variations for which the piece is so famous. It is played here with a liveliness and enthusiasm that send us on our way to the jovial Finale, a movement of joyous spirit and untroubled relaxation. Piano Trio No. 1, written eight years after the ‘Trout’, is one of Schubert’s most delectable chamber works, full of long, lyrical melodic lines; one discovers a certain similarity with the ‘Trout’ though no direct thematic resemblance. The Schubert Ensemble delivers another uplifting and first-rate performance.