Each dating from the early 1840s, the Piano Quintet and E flat Quartet contain little of the manic-depressive contrasts of mood that one associates with Schumann. The mellow and harmonious approach of the Schubert Ensemble gives one the impression of a man at one with the world, even though, as the booklet informs us, the composer was beginning to suffer a ''melancholic disquiet'' whilst completing the latter work.
The performance of the Quintet, if a little complacent in its emphasis on relaxed music-making, is unmannered and predominantly optimistic. In the opening movement I felt that the individual instrumentalists perhaps did not project their parts sufficiently when it was their turn to take the limelight. The development section here could have had a greater sense of expectation and foreboding, the opening of the second movement more atmosphere and mystery.
The Quartet, after a sensitively judged sostenuto episode, settles into a more conventional mould, with a feel of Beethoven and Mendelssohn present much of the time. Poetic touches abound in the reading. The pianist, William Howard's contributions are fairly subdued. Following a very fast, rather inconsequential Scherzo second movement, the players relax into an idyllic style for the Andante cantabile. Everything progresses happily and without incident in the finale.
Foremost, these are performances to enjoy: they are unchallenging. Regarding sound quality, despite the rather pronounced blurry edges to the piano tone, it is quite acceptable. If one is content to hear Schumann played slightly in the style of Dvorak, the then CD carries a firm recommendation.'