Johannes Brahms, the composer, was born in Hamburg in 1833, the son of a double-bass player and a seamstress 17 years his senior.
Performer Biography
Maria Lambros, the violist on this recording, has performed worldwide with groups like the Mendelssohn, Ridge, and Meliora String Quartets, earning a GRAMMY® Award nomination and a Naumburg Chamber Music Award.
Performer Biography
The New Zealand String Quartet, formed in 1987, has a discography that includes complete quartets by Mendelssohn, Bartók, and Berg, and this recording completes their three albums of Brahms chamber music for Naxos.
Composer Biography
Brahms's early musical training included violin and cello from his father, but his interest in piano led to lessons and his first public appearance at age ten.
Compositional Technique
Both of Brahms's String Quintets, like those of Mozart, are scored for two violins, two violas, and a cello, with the choice of two violas being characteristic of Brahms's rich texture.
Composer's Artistic Vision
Brahms, championed by critic Eduard Hanslick, became known as a proponent of pure or abstract music, in contrast to Richard Wagner's music dramas and Franz Liszt's symphonic poems.
