JOHANNES BRAHMS [1833-1897]

 

CD 1

String Quartet in C minor op. 51 no. 1 c-moll · en ut mineur

 

Seinem Freunde Dr. Theodor Billroth in Wien zugeeignet

(Dedicated to his friend Dr. Theodor Billroth in Vienna)

 

[1] Allegro

[2] Romanze: Poco Adagio

[3] Allegro molto moderato e comodo - Un poco più animato

[4] Allegro

 

String Quartet in A minor op. 51 no. 2 A-moll · en LA mineur

Seinem Freunde Dr. Theodor Billroth in Wien zugeeignet

 

[5] Allegro non troppo

[6] Andante moderato

[7] Quasi Minuetto, moderato - Allegretto vivace

[8] Finale: Allegro non assai - Più vivace

 

CD 2

String Quartet no. 3 in B flat major op. 67 b-dur · en si bémol majeur

 

Seinem Freunde Professor Theodor Wilhelm Engelmann in Utrecht zugeeignet

(Dedicated to his friend Professor Theodor Wilhelm Engelmann in Utrecht)

 

[1] Vivace

[2] Andante

[3] Agitato (Allegretto non troppo) - Trio

[4] Poco Allegretto con Variazioni - Doppio Movimento

 

Piano Quintet in f minor op. 34 f-moll · en fa mineur

(Dedicated to Her Royal Highness Princess Anna of Hesse)

 

[5] Allegro non troppo

[6] Andante, un poco Adagio

[7] Scherzo: Allegro - Trio

[8] Finale: Poco sostenuto - Allegro non troppo - Presto, non troppo

 

Emerson String Quartet

Eugene Drucker, 1st violin (op. 51 no. 1, op. 34), 2nd violin (op. 51 no. 2, op. 67)

Philip Setzer, 1st violin (op. 51 no. 2, op. 67), 2nd violin (op. 51 no. 1, op. 34)

Lawrence Dutton, viola/alto · David Finckel, cello

 

Leon Fleisher, piano

Leon Fleisher appears by courtesy of Vanguard Classics

 

In May 2007, the Emerson String Quartet will celebrate 30 years as an ensemble. To coincide with this milestone, the Emersons have taken on one of the most important bodies of string quartet literature from the 19th century: the String Quartets of Johannes Brahms.

 

In addition to the composer's three String Quartets, this specially priced two-CD set also includes Brahms's Piano Quintet, a richly coloured and highly romantic masterpiece for which the Emersons teamed up with legendary pianist Leon Fleisher.

 

This pairing of artists is unique on the market and a worthy follow-up to the Emersons' series of complete quartet anthologies, which already includes Beethoven, Mendelssohn, and Shostakovich, among others.

 

Lavish, deeply romantic works performed by the world's leading string quartet .'When you have an intelligent, technically almost superhuman ensemble like the Emerson Quartet, playing with obvious feeling for the music, reservations about quartet-style fly out of the window.' (BBC Music Magazine)

 

DG 4776458