Scherzo from String Quintet D. 956

The String Quintet in C major (D.956, Op. Posth. 163) is Schubert's final chamber work. It is sometimes called the Cello Quintet because unlike the standard string quintet, which includes an extra viola, this work adds an extra cello. Completed just two months prior to the composer's death, it did not receive its first performance until 1850. The third movement Scherzo – itself close to eleven minutes in length – comprises two large sections, with a repeat of the first section to create a “fast-slow-fast” format. This version for advanced string orchestra condenses the performance time to about five minutes while retaining all the essential melodic mastery of Schubert.