Johannes Brahms - String Sextets (Talich Quartet; Joseph Klusoň; Michal Kaňka)

Information

Composer: Johannes Brahms

1. String Sextet No. 1 in B flat major, Op. 8: I. Allegro ma non troppo
2. String Sextet No. 1 in B flat major, Op. 8: II. Andante ma moderato
3. String Sextet No. 1 in B flat major, Op. 8: III. Scherzo. Allegro molto
4. String Sextet No. 1 in B flat major, Op. 8: IV. Rondo. Poco allegretto e grazioso
5. String Sextet No. 2 in G major, Op. 36: I. Allegro non troppo
6. String Sextet No. 2 in G major, Op. 36: II. Scherzo. Allegro non troppo
7. String Sextet No. 2 in G major, Op. 36: III. Poco adagio
8. String Sextet No. 2 in G major, Op. 36: IV. Poco allegro

Talich Quartet
Jan Talich Jr., violin
Petr Maceček, violin
Vladimír Bukač, viola
Petr Prause, cello
&
Joseph Klusoň, viola
Michal Kaňka, cello

Date: 2006, 2007
Label: La dolce volta (original on Calliope)
http://www.ladolcevolta.com/en/album-music/brahms-2-sextuors-a-cordes/

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Review

ARTISTIC QUALITY: 10 / SOUND QUALITY: 10

La Dolce Volta has taken over the Talich Quartet recordings from the now defunct Calliope catalog, and a good thing it is for they contain a slew of reference recordings, including this luscious disc of the Brahms sextets. Although easily the finest works in their medium, the sextets tend to be neglected because there are no regularly constituted ensembles (think: quartets) to play them. That is why Brahms turned to the sextet in the first place–because he had no competition. Well, there was Spohr, but as I said, Brahms had no competition.

These are, in any case two of the most beautiful works for string ensemble, and because Brahms didn’t have to make himself a nervous wreck over them, as he did with his quartets, they reveal a relaxed and joyful lyricism that’s quite special in his output. They also contain some of Brahms’s most imaginative exploitations of instrumental color and timbre, the ethereal penultimate variation in the First Sextet’s slow movement being a case in point (and how well this group plays it). 

The Talich Quartet, in fact, is the ideal ensemble for this music. Their smooth sonority, pointed rhythms, and flawless ensemble balances permit the lyrical thrust of the music to sing with effortless energy. The way that they build the tension in the first movement exposition of Sextet No. 2 is simply marvelous, and although they can mange the most delicate of pianissimos without loss of body to the timbre, they attack the more vigorous passages (the trio of the Second Sextet’s scherzo) with unbridled abandon. The result is unquestionably one of the great chamber music recordings, made all the finer by gorgeously warm and detailed sonics.

-- David Hurwitz, ClassicsToday

More reviews:
http://www.gramophone.co.uk/review/brahms-string-sextets
http://www.musicweb-international.com/classrev/2014/Jun14/Brahms_sextets_LDV253.htm

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Johannes Brahms (7 May 1833 – 3 April 1897) was a German composer and pianist. In his lifetime, Brahms's popularity and influence were considerable. Brahms composed for symphony orchestra, chamber ensembles, piano, organ, and voice and chorus. Many of his works have become staples of the modern concert repertoire. An uncompromising perfectionist, Brahms destroyed some of his works and left others unpublished. Brahms is often considered both a traditionalist and an innovator. His music is firmly rooted in the structures and compositional techniques of the Classical masters, with a highly romantic nature embedded within.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johannes_Brahms

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The Talich Quartet is a Czech string quartet founded in 1964 by Jan Talich, Sr. (born 1945) while still a student at Prague Conservatory, and named after his famous uncle Václav Talich, the conductor and founder of the Czech Philharmonic. Specializing in works by Czech composers, they have premièred works by Viktor Kalabis, Luboš Fišer and Luboš Sluka. They made many records for Calliope, and won several Grand Prix du Disque and Diapason d'or awards. La Dolce Volta label has acquired the entire discography of the Talich Quartet from Calliope, and is continuing to work with the current line-up.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Talich_Quartet

http://quatuortalich.com/

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