Brahms: String Quartets & Piano Quintet

1.01. String Quartet No. 1 in C Minor, Op. 51 I. Allegro
1.02. String Quartet No. 1 in C Minor, Op. 51 II. Romanze (Poco adagio)
1.03. String Quartet No. 1 in C Minor, Op. 51 III. Allegretto molto moderato e comodo
1.04. String Quartet No. 1 in C Minor, Op. 51 IV. Allegro
1.05. String Quartet No. 2 in A Minor, Op. 51 I. Allegro non troppo
1.06. String Quartet No. 2 in A Minor, Op. 51 II. Andante
1.07. String Quartet No. 2 in A Minor, Op. 51 III. Quasi minuetto, moderato
1.08. String Quartet No. 2 in A Minor, Op. 51 IV. Finale (Allegro non assai)
2.01. String Quartet No. 3 in B-Flat Major, Op. 67 I. Vivace
2.02. String Quartet No. 3 in B-Flat Major, Op. 67 II. Andante
2.03. String Quartet No. 3 in B-Flat Major, Op. 67 III. Agitato (Allegretto non troppo)
2.04. String Quartet No. 3 in B-Flat Major, Op. 67 IV. Poco allegretto con variazioni
2.05. Piano Quintet in F Minor, Op. 34 I. Allegro non troppo
2.06. Piano Quintet in F Minor, Op. 34 II. Andante, un poco adagio
2.07. Piano Quintet in F Minor, Op. 34 III. Scherzo (Allegro)
2.08. Piano Quintet in F Minor, Op. 34 IV. Finale (Poco sostenuto – Allegro non troppo)

More than twelve years after its initial incursion into the music of Brahms, the Belcea Quartet now presents an eagerly awaited complete recording of his string quartets. A powerful style and a sense of musical architecture are the two qualities most often attributed to the Belcea, which is now one of the top international quartets. And those characteristics blossom to the full in Brahms. For the Piano Quintet, its members are joined by Till Fellner. This Austrian former student of Alfred Brendel is one of today’s most respected pianists, combining grace, rigour and musical intelligence. In September 2016 the Belcea Quartet will embark on a tour that will take it to the United States and most countries in Europe.

To coincide with the release of this new Brahms set, Alpha Classics will also reissue the complete Beethoven quartets (8 CD set, ALPHA 262).