Valentin Erben (cello), Belcea Quartet  EMI Classics 967 0252 (2 CDs)*****

An on-form Belcea Quartet here offer Schubert's last three chamber works for strings, the great C major String Quintet, the Death and the Maiden Quartet, and the even longer but less frequently heard Quartet in G.

All three are extraordinary pieces, visionary in scale, probing in their emotional extremes, and often super-charged in sonority – the sound of the two cellos in the string quintet is simply unforgettable. The Belceas have the measure of each piece, combining grandeur of gesture with refinement of detail, nourishing moments of tenderness as well as yielding to the harshness of Schubert’s blacker outbursts. The Alban Berg Quartet’s cellist, Valentin Erben, is an excellent partner in the quintet. www.emiclassics.com