Brahms:
- String Quartet and Clarinet Quintet
Brahms was already 40 years old when he produced this Second String Quartet (of three) after twenty years of unsuccessful attempts. And the result is a work with amazingly wonderful beauty of sound.
In the case of the Quintet Op.115, it was Brahms’ meeting with the clarinetist Mühlfeld that inspired Brahms to emerge from his self-imposed retirement to compose this nostalgic musical testament, five years before his death.
On this CD we get to enjoy both of these chamber music masterpieces.
Brahms:
- String Quartet No. 2 in A minor, Op. 51 No. 2
- Clarinet Quintet in B minor, Op. 115, with Sharon Kam (clarinet)
Performed by the Jerusalem Quartet
The quartet members are:
- Alexander Pavlovsky, Sergei Bresler, violins
- Ori Kam, viola
- Kyril Zlotnikov, cello
The Jerusalem Quartet was founded in 1993, and they are now regular guests in the world’s leading concert halls. On this CD we can hear their strong experience and their marvelous sound balance and sensitivity in performance.
After her debut with the Israel Philharmonic under Zubin Mehta at the age of 16, clarinetist Sharon Kam was encouraged and mentored by violinist Isaac Stern. She later graduated from the Juilliard School of Music, where she studied with clarinetist Charles Neidich.
The CD tracks are as follows:
- 1. String Quartet in A Minor, Op. 51: I. Allegro non troppo
- 2. String Quartet in A Minor, Op. 51: II. Andante moderato
- 3. String Quartet in A Minor, Op. 51: III. Quasi minuetto, moderato – Allegretto vivace
- 4. String Quartet in A Minor, Op. 51: IV. Finale. Allegro non assai
- 5. Clarinet Quintet in B Minor, Op. 115: I. Allegro
- 6. Clarinet Quintet in B Minor, Op. 115: II. Adagio
- 7. Clarinet Quintet Op. 115: III. Andantino
- 8. Clarinet Quintet in B Minor, Op. 115: IV. Con moto
Here is the Jerusalem Quartet in the Johannes Brahms, String Quartet Op. 51 NO. 2 – 1st movement, Allegro non troppo:
And here is the wonderful second movement (Andante Moderato) from the same Brahms quartet:
Finally, here is the Clarinet Quintet by Brahms with the Guarneri Quartet and David Shifrin, Clarinet soloist:
Tags: Johannes Brahms, Jerusalem Quartet, Quartet #2, Clarinet Quintet