Schubert Octet in F, D803. Minuet and Finale in F, D72 ^a. Vienna Octet; ^a Vienna Wind Soloists

Decca (Full price) (CD) 430 516-2DH (72 minutes: DDD).

This is a pleasing account of Schubert's Octet for three wind and five strings including double-bass, with warm and bassy sound to match. Noticing that it was recorded in the Mozartsaal in the Vienna Konzerthaus, I wondered at first whether it would have been even better for the players to have found a more spacious acoustic so that the listener was placed at a greater distance from the music. The music itself is, of course, on a big scale. With the exposition repeat in the first movement observed, it takes nearly nine minutes to reach the development section and the movement takes 15 minutes in all, with five movements still to come. But the tempo of this Allegro is well chosen being brisk yet unhurried, and the affectionate quality of the interpretation as a whole is never in doubt.

Indeed, the adjective that keeps coming to my mind as I listen is 'Viennese', which is appropriate for the music and the players: the golden horn tone, liquid clarinet and sweet but slightly 'slidy' lead violin are all part of that incomparable style. For some tastes, it may be a touch bland (for example, the Adagio second movement is charming rather than searching), but I find no difficulty in going along with this interpretation, while recognizing that one might wish also to have others on one's shelves, such as the ASMF Chamber Ensemble (Chandos) and the Gaudier Ensemble (ASV). The scherzo is delightfully poised and sprung, and one would have to be an austere listener to fail to respond to the Andante with seven variations which, once again, is played with the repeats as written.

The dramatic and somewhat orchestral slow introduction to the finale leads well into the busy Allegro that is the main part of the movement which also comes over effectively although the triplets sound breathless at this brisk pace. However I note that in the return of the Andante molto music near the end, the first violin sometimes plays an octave higher than written in the score: is there a tradition for this? The other work on this disc is most attractive and is played very stylishly here by a wind octet. It dates from 1813 and thus belongs to Schubert's boyhood, apparently having been written for the wind section of his school orchestra.

CH