Brahms claimed to have written and destroyed 'more than twenty' string quartets before publishing his Opus 51 set.
Compositional Technique
The Adagio of the Clarinet Quintet features a passage that sublimates the free, fantastic Hungarian gypsy style, known as verbunkos, which fascinated Brahms throughout his life.
Recording & Production
This Chandos recording uses 24-bit / 96 kHz technology, which offers a dynamic range up to 48 dB greater and 256 times the resolution of standard 16-bit recordings.
Composer Biography
Johannes Brahms, a famously self-critical composer, struggled to produce his first string quartets, only publishing them at age forty.
Composer's Artistic Vision
Brahms's late chamber works, including the Clarinet Quintet, reflect the personal isolation and melancholy he felt as many close friends passed away in his final years.
Composition History
Brahms's Clarinet Quintet, Op. 115, and three other late chamber works were inspired by the artistry of Richard Mühlfeld, the principal clarinettist of the Meiningen Court Orchestra.
Compositional Technique
The String Quartet No. 2 in A minor, Op. 51 No. 2, incorporates musical mottoes from Brahms and his friend Joseph Joachim, a violinist and composer, combining them in canons and inversions.
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Brahms: Clarinet Quintet in B Minor, Op. 115 & String Quartet in A Minor, Op. 51:2
