Brahms String Quartet No. 1 & Piano Quintet Natacha Kudritskaya & Brodsky Quartet

• Johannes Brahms (1833 - 1897): String Quartet in C Minor, Op. 51 No. 1:
• 1 Brahms: String Quartet in C Minor, Op. 51 No. 1: I. Allegro 11:02
• 2 Brahms: String Quartet in C Minor, Op. 51 No. 1: II. Romanze. Poco Adagio 07:38
• 3 Brahms: String Quartet in C Minor, Op. 51 No. 1: III. Allegretto molto moderato e comodo 09:09
• 4 Brahms: String Quartet in C Minor, Op. 51 No. 1: IV. Allegro 06:05
• Piano Quintet in F Minor, Op. 34:
• 5 Brahms: Piano Quintet in F Minor, Op. 34: I. Allegro non troppo 15:29
• 6 Brahms: Piano Quintet in F Minor, Op. 34: II. Andante, un poco adagio 09:01
• 7 Brahms: Piano Quintet in F Minor, Op. 34: III. Scherzo. Allegro 07:23
• 8 Brahms: Piano Quintet in F Minor, Op. 34: IV. Finale. Poco sostenuto 10:37
• Total Runtime 01:16:24

Info for Brahms String Quartet No. 1 & Piano Quintet

The Brodsky Quartet presents this second volume in its exploration of Brahms’s complete string quartets. The first, which also featured the Clarinet Quintet with Michael Collins, received numerous enthusiastic reviews, The Guardian praising the players for their ‘immaculate’ performance. The String Quartet, Op. 51 No. 1, featured here, was written alongside its contrasting companion, Op. 51 No. 2. Both were finally published in 1873 after having been held back for years by a typically self-doubting Brahms, until he had brought them to his own high standards of perfection. Op. 51 may be regarded as evidence of his concern to revive and reinvigorate a genre, the strong legacy of which went back to the generation of Mozart, Haydn, and, above all, Beethoven. The Quartet is joined by the young, prodigious Ukrainian pianist Natacha Kudritskaya in the Piano Quintet, a more adventurous work: it had started life as a String Quintet, which Brahms then transcribed as a sonata for two pianos. The final version gives as much importance to the strings as to the piano.

"It’s 0 to 100 in three seconds: from the first notes and initial crescendo of the Brahms Op. 51 No. 1, the Brodsky Quartet means serious business. All of this long-established ensemble’s considerable prowess is brought to bear on the composer’s turbulent chamber music: an enormous and remarkable intensity suffuses the atmosphere throughout. The result is inspiring, profoundly unsettling and a true visceral thrill" (BBC Music Magazine)

"These are performances that are not afraid to relax, which don’t insist on maintaining constant tension to keep the pieces taut and together…the playing in the Quintet is similar and matched well by that of Natacha Kudritskaya, who plays very much as part of the team…it’s an approach that makes a fascinating contrast to more conventionally forceful and richly drawn accounts" (Gramophone Magazine)

"The Brodskys hold clarity and passion in fine balance in the C minor quartet, while in the thrilling F minor quintet, the Ukrainian pianist adds an effective bite to the often clamorous texture from the off" (Sunday Times)

Natacha Kudritskaya, piano
Brodsky Quartet

Natacha Kudritskaya
Ukrainian pianist Natacha Kudritskaya toured the United States as a soloist with the Kiev Symphony while still a teenager. Since 2003, she has made her home in France where she has been heard at several festivals and concert venues including the Roque d’Antheron Festival, as well as the Cité de la Musique, Salle Cortot and Musée d’Orsay concert series in Paris. Ms. Kudritskaya has also performed at noted festivals in Austria, Germany, Latvia, and Switzerland. In the summer of 2008, she participated in the Santander Festival at the invitation of Dmitri Bashkirov.

Brodsky Quartet
Since its formation in 1972 the Brodsky Quartet has performed over 3000 concerts on the major stages of the world and released more than 60 recordings. A natural curiosity and insatiable desire to explore has propelled the group in many artistic directions and continues to ensure them not only a place at the very forefront of the international chamber music scene but also a rich and varied musical existence. Their energy and craftsmanship have attracted numerous awards and accolades worldwide, while ongoing educational work provides a vehicle for passing on experience and staying in touch with the next generation.

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