The Jerusalem Quartet performs on this album and is grateful to Daniel Barenboim for lending Kyril Zlotnikov, the cellist, Jacqueline du Pré's 'Sergio Perresson' cello.
Composer Biography
Brahms's String Quartet in A minor, Op. 51/2, opens with a theme based on the notes A-F-A-E, which represents his personal motto: Frei aber Einsam (Free but solitary).
Critical Reception
The premiere of Brahms's Clarinet Quintet in 1891 was enthusiastically acclaimed, with critic Eduard Hanslick noting it 'immediately fired the audience's enthusiasm' and produced 'a profound and vivid effect'.
Performer Biography
Clarinetist Sharon Kam debuted with the Israel Philharmonic under Zubin Mehta at age sixteen and was mentored by Isaac Stern.
Compositional Technique
Arnold Schoenberg coined the term 'musical prose' to describe Brahms's innovative thematic construction in his Op. 51 quartets, noting its significance for 20th-century music.
Composition History
Johannes Brahms struggled for twenty years to publish his first string quartets, destroying over twenty youthful attempts before releasing his Op. 51 quartets in 1873.
Composition History
Brahms was so impressed by clarinettist Richard Mühlfeld that he composed two chamber works for him in a matter of weeks during the summer of 1891: the Clarinet Trio and the Clarinet Quintet.
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Brahms: Clarinet Quintet in B Minor, Op. 115 & String Quartet in A Minor, Op. 51:2
