Strauss: Piano Quartet in C Major, Op. 13, TrV 137 & Piano Trio No. 2 in D Major, TrV 71

Featuring

Doren Dinglinger
Tony Nys
Alexandre Vay
Daniel Blumenthal
Richard Strauss

Did you know?

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Composer Biography

Richard Strauss's period of creative activity spanned nearly 80 years, despite never receiving regular academic training at a conservatory.

Composition History

The Piano Quartet, Op. 13, was dedicated by Strauss to Duke George II of Saxe-Meiningen, his new mentor, as a gesture of "veneration and gratitude."

Performer Biography

Alexandre Vay, the cellist, plays a modern instrument built by Ersen Ayçan.

Composer's Artistic Vision

Strauss, at just 24, expressed a radical critique of 19th-century instrumental music, stating that "Purely formalistic Hanslickean music-making is [...] no longer possible."

Performer Biography

Daniel Blumenthal, the pianist on this recording, has released over 50 CDs and won top prizes in prestigious competitions like the Queen Elisabeth Competition.

Compositional Technique

Richard Specht, an early biographer, noted that Strauss's early works, including this quartet, spoke "in alien voices" and were a "mimicry" of other composers like Brahms.

Composition History

Strauss completed his first symphony at 16 and his second (and last) at 19, showing a surprising nonchalance towards these traditional genres early in his career.