Brahms: Clarinet Sonatas, Op. 120 Nos. 1 & 2; Viola Trio, Op. 114

Featuring

Andreas Willwohl
Daniel Heide
Isang Enders
Johannes Brahms

Did you know?

1/7

Compositional Technique

The first bars of Brahms' F Minor Sonata, Op. 120, contain a quote from Bach's chorale 'O Haupt voll Blut und Wunden', and the viola's entry includes motifs from Brahms' own 4th Symphony.

Composition History

The clarinetist and violist Richard Mühlfeld played a crucial role in inspiring Brahms to compose again in his later years.

Composition History

For the Trio Op. 114, Brahms himself foresaw the viola as a possible alternative to the clarinet, and the work was tried out in both versions before its public premiere and publication.

Composition History

Brahms wrote to Clara Schumann in 1891, praising Richard Mühlfeld, a clarinetist and violist, as the 'best wind instrument player' he had ever heard, and expressed his excitement for her to hear his new works performed by Mühlfeld.

Performer Biography

Isang Enders, the cellist on this recording, was accepted into Michael Sanderling's class for gifted young students at age twelve and later became Principal Cello of the Dresden Staatskapelle before pursuing a freelance career.

Composer's Artistic Vision

Brahms intended the Sonatas Op. 120 to be playable on viola as an alternative to the clarinet, due to the timbral affinity between the two instruments and their similarity to the human contralto voice.

Performer Biography

Andreas Willwohl, the violist on this recording, is a professor at Nuremberg University of Music and has been a member of the Mandelring Quartet since 2015.