Brahms strygekvintetter
Mogens Dahl Koncertsal / København S / 5. dec. 2026 / 20:00
Brahms String Quintets
Aimez-vous Brahms? Romantic melodies, heavy with melancholy and autumnal mood? Then don't miss this concert. Two of Brahms's
most complete and life-affirming chamber music works are his string quintets, where the two violas provide a special depth and almost velvety sound. Here in a star cast centered around perhaps the world's leading violist right now, Antoine Tamestit.
The evening begins with a delicious two-course menu, which can be purchased together with the concert ticket.
PROGRAM
Brahms: String Quintet No. 1 Op. 88
Benjamin: Viola, Viola
***
Brahms: String Quintet No. 2 Op. 111
ARTISTS
James Ehnes, violin
Alexandra Preucil, violin
Antoine Tamestit, viola
Sào Soulez Larivière, viola
Christian Poltéra, cello
ABOUT THE PROGRAM
The late Brahms is not a late-Romantic music, with greatly expanded tonality – Brahms acknowledged the legacy of Palestrina, Bach and Beethoven, but was not a pronounced traditionalist. His innovative contribution to music was his work with form and harmony as well as a superior mastery of thematic work. All of this reaches a peak in the two string quintets, where the mature composer's mastery is felt. Both works are technically demanding and with a thematic richness that unfolds effortlessly in tightly woven movements, often with a bewitching rhythmic momentum.
The first quintet was written when Brahms was 49 and roughly in the middle of his chamber music production.
Brahms himself wrote to his friend Clara Schumann that he considered it “one of my finest works” and to his publisher: “You have never received such a beautiful work from me.”
Quintet No. 2 was written in 1890, and although the composer was not yet 60, he was aging relatively quickly in these years. He himself had intended this quintet to be his last. Fortunately, it did not turn out that way, and the work is not characterized by thoughts of farewell. The four movements demonstrate a continued vitality, both thematically and rhythmically.
These two works are not the composer’s most played, but among his finest.
Before the intermission, we will hear the English composer George Benjamin’s short work for two violas, Viola, viola.
Brahms: String Quintet No. 1 Op. 88
Benjamin: Viola, Viola
***
Brahms: String Quintet No. 2 Op. 111
ARTISTS
James Ehnes, violin
Alexandra Preucil, violin
Antoine Tamestit, viola
Sào Soulez Larivière, viola
Christian Poltéra, cello
ABOUT THE PROGRAM
The late Brahms is not a late-Romantic music, with greatly expanded tonality – Brahms acknowledged the legacy of Palestrina, Bach and Beethoven, but was not a pronounced traditionalist. His innovative contribution to music was his work with form and harmony as well as a superior mastery of thematic work. All of this reaches a peak in the two string quintets, where the mature composer's mastery is felt. Both works are technically demanding and with a thematic richness that unfolds effortlessly in tightly woven movements, often with a bewitching rhythmic momentum.
The first quintet was written when Brahms was 49 and roughly in the middle of his chamber music production.
Brahms himself wrote to his friend Clara Schumann that he considered it “one of my finest works” and to his publisher: “You have never received such a beautiful work from me.”
Quintet No. 2 was written in 1890, and although the composer was not yet 60, he was aging relatively quickly in these years. He himself had intended this quintet to be his last. Fortunately, it did not turn out that way, and the work is not characterized by thoughts of farewell. The four movements demonstrate a continued vitality, both thematically and rhythmically.
These two works are not the composer’s most played, but among his finest.
Before the intermission, we will hear the English composer George Benjamin’s short work for two violas, Viola, viola.