The works on this album are linked by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe's poetic thought: Mendelssohn's quartet was composed after a real encounter with Goethe, while Brahms's was inspired by Goethe's novel The Sorrows of Young Werther.
Composer's Artistic Vision
The album pays homage to three inspirational figures of Romanticism: Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, Felix Mendelssohn, and Johannes Brahms.
Performer Biography
The Quartetto Werther, founded in 2016, is named after Brahms's Piano Quartet, Op. 60, and his emotional connection to its composition, which was inspired by Goethe's novel The Sorrows of Young Werther.
Performer Biography
The Quartetto Werther won the Piero Farulli Prize for best young ensemble in 2020 and the Premio Sinopoli in 2022, presented by Italian President Sergio Mattarella.
Interpretation
The Quartetto Werther's recording of Brahms's Piano Quartet, Op. 60, represents eight years of study and growth with the piece since the quartet's founding in 2016.
Album & Artwork
The album title "Elective Affinities" refers to the German term "Wahlverwandtschaften" (choice and kinship), reflecting the connections between the composers and the performers.
Recording & Production
This album was recorded at Alte Kirche Boswil, Switzerland, from July 1-3, 2024, with Małgorzata Albińska-Frank as the Recording Producer/Tonmeister.
You might also enjoy...
Brahms: Piano Quartet No. 3 in C Minor, Op. 60: II. Scherzo. Allegro
Mendelssohn: Complete Piano Quartets
Fauré: Piano Quartet No. 1 in C Minor, Op. 15 & Piano Quartet No. 2 in G Minor, Op. 45
Dvořák: Piano Quartets Nos. 1 & 2
Mozart: KV 478, KV 493
Mozart: KV 478, KV 493
Friendship
Bruch: Kol Nidrei / Schumann, R.: Liederkreis
Saxophone Caprices
Sonata Concertata a Quattro
Emil Gilels Legacy, Vol. 4: Brahms Quartet, Op. 25
