Brahms: String Quintets Nos. 1 & 2

Lawrence Power (viola) & Takács Quartet

‘It was in the G major string quintet … that the Takács players again hit special heights, achieving near-miracles of balance and interplay and with Geraldine Walther and guest Lawrence Power delivering a masterclass of contrasting but complementary viola playing’ (The Guardian)

The Takács Quartet have been recently described as ‘one of the world’s most distinguished ensembles’. Here they collaborate with Britain’s greatest living viola player, Lawrence Power, who with his long association with The Nash Ensemble among others has also proved himself a remarkable chamber musician.

Brahms’s String Quintets (Opp 88 and 111) both represent landmarks of the Romantic chamber music repertoire, and demonstrate the composer’s utter mastery of the genre.

Brahms:
 String Quintet No. 1 in F major, Op. 88
 String Quintet No. 2 in G major, Op. 111

"Everything sounds as though it has been thought through extensively...The Takács's Brahms is like a superbly engineered road: we always know where we're going, and the views can be magnificent, but there are some interesting contours hidden beneath the tarmac."
BBC Music Magazine - May 2014 ****