Playing on instruments (or replicas of instruments) from Schubert’s time also changes how the music feels under our fingers. The different string tensions, bow response, and keyboard action all nudge you towards a style of playing that is closer to what Schubert and his contemporaries would have known. It becomes less about projecting to a large modern hall and more about drawing the listener into a conversation. That intimacy is extremely rewarding for both performers and audiences.

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Listening to and emulating singers and string playing in early recordings, and noticing the nuanced rhythmic alternations, tempo rubato, and portamento, gives us a wonderful historical insight into the preferred performance style of the time. These expressive devices provide the performer a wealth of choices that expand our understanding and appreciation of composers and performance from the 19th century.

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What is the most significant technical challenge of playing Schubert’s Trout quintet on period instruments that modern players might not have to navigate?

By studying writings from the era, treaties, and iconographic evidence, the rhythmic freedoms of this nuanced approach bring this music to life. Ironwood draws on a wealth of experience and expertise, brings together specialist leaders in the field, and, through being thoroughly informed, expands one’s collective imagination. We explore a range of expressive techniques that provide insight into the rhetorical (declamatory) style in singing and instrumental playing, while taking risks in performance arises from continually enhancing one's understanding of the pre-modern era’s approach.

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There are also technical considerations related to period instruments. Gut strings respond differently to changes in bow speed and pressure, creating a more nuanced sound than modern steel strings, which were not used consistently until the mid-20th century. Rapid passage work, soft attacks, and sudden shifts in character are shaped by these instrument setups and historical vocal practices, which respond more quickly and ably to enhance our modern creative practices.

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What is your favourite 'hidden' musical moment in the Trout Quintet that audiences may miss?

One of my favourite ‘hidden' musical moments is how the song Die Forelle (The Trout) is quoted in the fourth movement, set to variations. Schubert weaves subtle comments and echoes into the variations, resulting in exquisite inner-voice turns and harmonic shifts that suddenly alter the music's emotional colour.

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Hearing Schubert’s Schwanengesänge and Johann Anton André’s Lieder intertwined among the movements of The Trout offers a unique, inspiring approach, creating a well-shaped and richly shaded presentation. The use of fine colours and detailed delivery of the text maximises rhetorical impact and word painting, also inspiring a similar approach in the instrumental works and encouraging greater artistic imagination, variety, and spontaneity.

 

If Schubert were to hear your interpretation on historical instruments today, what do you hope he would notice?

Ironwood brings a wealth of knowledge to the interpretation of historical performance practices in sound, enriching the musical world. I hope Schubert would recognise a sense of affection and respect for the sound world he knew. I’d love for Schubert to notice our attention to his markings, vocal phrasing, and fondness for expressive techniques - and to feel that we’re speaking Schubert’s musical language rather than translating it into something entirely modern.

 

I also hope Schubert might be moved by the musicians’ conversational spirit and spontaneity. Schubert’s chamber music often feels like a group of close friends sharing stories: one voice leads, another replies, a third quietly comments from the side. As Ironwood performs on historical instruments, those shifts of colour and character between the parts can be very vivid, and I’d like to think Schubert would enjoy hearing that sense of joy in communication.

 

Can you tell us a little about the Graf Fortepiano and the Viennese Double Bass?

The Graf fortepiano is a fine example of the type of piano Schubert would have known in Vienna.

Instruments by Conrad Graf are lighter in build than a modern grand, with a more immediate attack and a remarkably diverse palette of colours. The bass register offers a warm, slightly grainy depth, the middle range sings clearly and intimately, and the upper register can shimmer and sparkle without ever sounding harsh.

 

This distinctive sound world influences everything from pedalling to voicing. Because the tones decay more swiftly, one can articulate more precisely and shape phrases in a way that feels more like speech. Harmonies are also revealed in a very transparent manner, allowing listeners to hear inner lines and shifting colours that might be masked or blurred on a modern instrument.

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The Viennese double bass used in this repertoire has a different setup and sound profile from that of a modern orchestral bass, with gut strings, frets, and a more direct, speaking tone. The attack can be quite clear and articulate, which is ideal for dance rhythms and the ensemble's rhythmic foundation. The characterful, focused bass voice supports the harmony without obscuring the inner parts and in the Trout Quintet, this imparts the music with a particular spring and lightness.

 

The incredible soprano Anna Fraser will be performing a selection of Schubert’s Schwanengesang - why do you think they have continued to be played over the past 200 years - what makes them special?

Schwanengesänge is timeless because it combines deeply personal expression with an extraordinary sense of musical inevitability. Schubert has an almost unique ability to transform the most intimate feelings - longing, hope, despair, tenderness - into melodies that seem as if they have always existed.

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These songs also inhabit that quintessentially Schubertian space between joy and sorrow. Even in moments of apparent brightness, there is often a hint of melancholy, and in the darkest songs, there remains a thread of beauty and humanity. This emotional complexity, paired with his genius for melody and harmony, allows each generation of performers and listeners to find something of themselves in the music.

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For singers and pianists, the cycle offers an endless landscape of colour and nuance. Each

performance can reveal a different facet - dramatic, introspective, tender, or defiant - and I believe

that capacity for reinvention is one reason the songs continue to resonate so profoundly.

 

For an audience member accustomed to chamber music performed on “modern” instruments, what should they listen for to appreciate the unique charm of this performance by Ironwood?

I would encourage the audience to notice these things in particular:

 

Colour and balance – The sound of gut strings and fortepiano has a different palette from modern instruments. Listen to how the instruments blend and how the colours shift as the roles move between them. You may hear inner lines and harmonic details emerging in a new way.

 

Articulation and speech‑like phrasing – By using historical vocal practices and instrumental techniques, articulation can be very clear and finely graded. Try listening to the way phrases are “spoken”: the lightness or weight of certain notes, the shape of a line as it breathes and leans, almost like the inflection of speech.

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Intimacy of sound – Rather than a big, symphonic-style projection, this is a more intimate, chamber‑sized sound world. It invites you to come closer and listen to the texture. There can be great drama and expression, while often the most moving moments are the quiet, subtle ones.

 

Above all, I invite the audience to simply enjoy spending time in the company of the Ironwood Ensemble, soprano Anna Fraser, Schubert and André.

 

Rachael Beesley is an Australian-British violinist, conductor, concertmaster, and educator whose work in historically informed performance brings vivid musical storytelling to audiences across Europe and Australia. Recognised as a leading interpreter of early and classical repertoire, she holds major artistic roles with the Australian Romantic & Classical Orchestra, collaborates with renowned early music ensembles and orchestras, and has recorded more than 50 CDs for prominent international labels. Performing on period instruments as both soloist and chamber

musician, Rachael is equally committed to inspiring the next generation of performers through her teaching at leading institutions in Australia and Europe.

 

Interview conducted by Catherine Barnett (BAMF Committee) March 2026

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To hear Rachael Beesley perform with Ironwood at the 2026 Bowral Autumn Music Festival click below:

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​To learn more about Ironwood please click here: https://www.ironwoodchamberensemble.com/ensemble​​

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