This recording features two of Franz Schubert’s most striking contributions to the string quartet repertoire: the youthful Quartet in E-flat major, D 87, and the powerful D minor Quartet, D 810, known as “Death and the Maiden.” The E-flat major quartet shows Schubert’s early mastery of form and his dialogue with Mozart and Beethoven as models. In contrast, “Death and the Maiden” — composed in 1824 — takes its theme from Schubert’s own song, unfolding in variations that range from dreamlike to dramatic, surrounded by movements of dark intensity and furious energy. Once considered too radical and technically demanding, the work is today seen as one of the finest quartets ever written. The performances by the acclaimed Yggdrasil Quartet highlight both the lyricism and the fierce contrasts in these masterpieces.