Brahms: String Quartets Nos. 1-3 Alexander String Quartet

• Johannes Brahms (1833 - 1897): String Quartet No. 1 in C Minor, Op. 51 No. 1:
• 1 Brahms: String Quartet No. 1 in C Minor, Op. 51 No. 1: I. Allegro 10:55
• 2 Brahms: String Quartet No. 1 in C Minor, Op. 51 No. 1: II. Romanze. Poco adagio 06:21
• 3 Brahms: String Quartet No. 1 in C Minor, Op. 51 No. 1: III. Allegretto molto moderato e comodo 08:23
• 4 Brahms: String Quartet No. 1 in C Minor, Op. 51 No. 1: IV. Allegro 06:16
• String Quartet No. 2 in A Minor, Op. 51 No. 2:
• 5 Brahms: String Quartet No. 2 in A Minor, Op. 51 No. 2: I. Allegro non troppo 12:43
• 6 Brahms: String Quartet No. 2 in A Minor, Op. 51 No. 2: II. Andante moderato 08:49
• 7 Brahms: String Quartet No. 2 in A Minor, Op. 51 No. 2: III. Quasi minuetto, moderato 05:23
• 8 Brahms: String Quartet No. 2 in A Minor, Op. 51 No. 2: IV. Finale. Allegro non assai 07:20
• String Quartet No. 3 in B-Flat Major, Op. 67:
• 9 Brahms: String Quartet No. 3 in B-Flat Major, Op. 67: I. Vivace 10:13
• 10 Brahms: String Quartet No. 3 in B-Flat Major, Op. 67: II. Andante 06:59
• 11 Brahms: String Quartet No. 3 in B-Flat Major, Op. 67: III. Agitato. Allegretto non troppo 07:57
• 12 Brahms: String Quartet No. 3 in B-Flat Major, Op. 67: IV. Poco allegretto con variazioni 10:17
• Johannes Brahms:
• 13 Brahms: Intermezzo in A Major, Op. 118 No. 2 (Arr. Z. Grafilo for String Quartet) 06:19
• Total Runtime 01:47:55

Info for Brahms: String Quartets Nos. 1-3

The Alexander String Quartet launches its 40th season with this recording of Brahms String Quartets — plus Brahms’ Intermezzo (transcribed for string quartet by Zakarias Grafilo). With these complete Brahms Quartets, the ASQ has compiled a veritable Brahms compendium, including Brahms’ Clarinet Quintet (FCL 2021, with Eli Eban) and Piano Quintets (FCL 2014, with Joyce Yang), both named "MusicWeb International Recordings of the Year", as well as his String Quintets and Sextets (FCL 2012), which were hailed as a “life-enhancing set” by The Arts Desk.

The Alexander String Quartet was formed in New York City in 1981 and captured international attention as the first American quartet to win the London International String Quartet Competition in 1985. The quartet has received honorary degrees from Allegheny College and St. Lawrence University, and Presidential medals from Baruch College (CUNY). The Alexander String Quartet is a major artistic pres­ence in its home base of San Francisco, serving since 1989 as Ensemble in Residence for San Francisco Performances and Directors of the Instructional Program for the Morrison Chamber Music Center in the College of Liberal and Creative Arts at San Francisco State University.

Alexander String Quartet

The Alexander String Quartet
has performed in the major music capitals of five continents, securing its standing among the world’s premier ensembles over three decades. Widely admired for its interpretations of Beethoven, Mozart, and Shostakovich, the Quartet has also established itself as an important advocate of new music through over 25 commissions and numerous premiere performances.

The many distinguished artists to collaborate with the Alexander String Quartet include pianists Menahem Pressler, Gary Graffman, Roger Woodward, Jeremy Menuhin, and Joyce Yang; clarinetists Eli Eban, Charles Neidich, Joan Enric Lluna, and Richard Stolzman; cellists Lynn Harrell, Sadao Harada, and David Requiro; violist Toby Appel; and soprano Elly Ameling. Among the quartet’s more unusual collaborations has been numerous performances of Eddie Sauter’s seminal Third Stream work, Focus, in collaboration with Branford Marsalis, David Sánchez, and Andrew Speight.

Over the past decade the Alexander String Quartet has added considerably to its distinguished and wide-ranging discography. Currently recording exclusively for the FoghornClassics label, the Alexander’s most recent release (June 2009) is a complete Beethoven cycle. Music Web International has described the performances on this new Beethoven set as “uncompromising in their power, intensity and spiritual depth,” while Strings Magazine described the set as “a landmark journey through the greatest of all quartet cycles.”

Highlights of the 2010–2011 season include a two multiple concert series for San Francisco Performances, one presenting the complete quartets of Bartók and Kodály and the other music of Dvořák; the conclusion of a Beethoven cycle for Mondavi Center; and a continuing annual series at Baruch College in New York City. The quartet also performs an all-Beethoven program at the Lied Center of Kansas, two tours of Spain (including the inaugural performances of a new festival in Godella), and a second tour of Argentina. They also continue their annual residencies at Allegheny College, Lewis & Clark College, and St. Lawrence University.

The Alexander String Quartet was formed in New York City in 1981 and the following year became the first string quartet to win the Concert Artists Guild Competition. In 1985, the quartet captured international attention as the first American quartet to win the London International String Quartet Competition, receiving both the jury’s highest award and the Audience Prize.

The Quartet is a major artistic presence in its home base of San Francisco, serving there as directors of the Morrison Chamber Music Center at the School of Music and Dance in the College of Creative Arts at San Francisco State University and Ensemble in Residence of San Francisco Performances.

The Alexander String Quartet performs on the Ellen M. Egger Quartet of instruments, built in 1987 by the American maker Francis Kuttner.

Booklet for Brahms: String Quartets Nos. 1-3