Five distinguished chamber musicians come together to perform both of Brahms's string quintets in a single evening, with a short work by George Benjamin placed between the two main pieces.
Brahms wrote his String Quintet No. 1 Op. 88 at the age of 49, roughly the midpoint of his chamber music output. He described it to Clara Schumann as 'one of my finest works' and told his publisher he had never sent him anything so beautiful. String Quintet No. 2 Op. 111 followed in 1890; Brahms had initially intended it as his final composition, yet it brims with rhythmic vitality and thematic richness across all four movements.
Both quintets reflect Brahms's deep engagement with Classical form and his mastery of motivic development, inheriting the legacy of Palestrina, Bach, and Beethoven while forging a distinctive harmonic language. They are technically demanding works, their tightly woven movements unfolding with an almost irresistible rhythmic momentum.
Before the interval, the programme includes George Benjamin's short duet for two violas, Viola, Viola, performed by Antoine Tamestit and Sào Soulez Larivière.
The performers are: James Ehnes and Alexandra Preucil (violin), Antoine Tamestit and Sào Soulez Larivière (viola), and Christian Poltéra (cello). The concert begins at 20:00 at Mogens Dahl Koncertsal.