Brahms String Sextets

The Belcea is not one of those quartets that habitually shares violin top-dog duties, but it’s nice to see its two distinguished guests here dividing the honours of first viola and cello with the resident players across the two sextets. Undoubtedly helped by Brahms’s supreme mastery in the medium – it is salutary to remember that forebears in the string sextet were minimal before the 1860s – the ensemble is seamless.

The only minor misjudgement comes when violinist Corina Belcea brings a sudden gutsier tone to the secondary phrase of op.18’s Scherzo, which leaps out of its sleek surroundings as a rather rustic interloper (the Second Sextet’s Presto giocoso feels more appropriate for this kind of colouring). But it’s a small point and not one that ultimately detracts from what are benchmark recordings and performances of the two sextets, full of the fresh Romantic spirit of their young composer.

Although the two works form a natural pair, they have contrasting characters and the players differentiate their moods and sound worlds judiciously, bringing plenty of warmth to the long melodic lines, rich texture to the harmonies and contrapuntal interplay, and a buoyant rhythmic verve in the swifter movements. The Vienna Konzerthaus provides just the right ambience for a recording with expertly balanced sound.

01. Brahms String Sextet No. 1, Op. 18 I. Allegro ma non troppo
02. Brahms String Sextet No. 1, Op. 18 II. Andante ma moderato
03. Brahms String Sextet No. 1, Op. 18 III. Scherzo. Allegro molto
04. Brahms String Sextet No. 1, Op. 18 IV. Rondo. Poco allegretto e grazioso
05. Brahms String Sextet No. 2, Op. 36 I. Allegro non troppo
06. Brahms String Sextet No. 2, Op. 36 II. Scherzo. Allegro non troppo — Presto giocoso
07. Brahms String Sextet No. 2, Op. 36 III. Poco adagio
08. Brahms String Sextet No. 2, Op. 36 IV. Poco allegro