great octet, the vienna octet, tho one gets a sense of a group quickly thrown together, shows masterful chops.

These guys, led by Vienna's Boskovsky brothers, deliver what has to be the definitive performance on record. Every note, phrase, and tempo is sublime, like Schubert's composition itself. And the recording! I got the DXD, and it's as exalted as the playing. One of the most natural-sounding tracks in my download library, it's utterly free of anything that might fatigue or otherwise displease the ear. A must for all lovers of classical music. And for Schubert lovers. a no-brainer you-gotta-have-it download!

Perfection and then some. Schubert's delights, tears, reveries, and jubilant dances have never been (and probably never will be) so captivatingly served. Everyone plays his part like a solo, while blending perfectly, layering everything with unerring judgment, yet somehow sounding as if they were playing the piece for the first time . The sound is a notch or two beyond anything previously accorded this performance, especially the dynamic range. P.S. When it comes to small ensembles of elite musicians, the Vienna miracle is roughly contemporary with the Ellington band (slightly reduced) in the Bal Masque album which is part of the same HDTT release. Same comments could apply to both. Go get'em.