Progetto Martha Argerich

italiano

Works

Johannes Brahms

Quartet No. 1 in G minor, Op.25, for piano, violin, viola and cello

 

Brahms composed the Quartet in G minor for Piano and Strings, Op. 25, in 1861. As was his custom, as soon as he had completed the work Brahms sent a copy of it to his friend, the violinist Joseph Joachim, who expressed considerable perplexity over the form and the melodic quality of the first movement but was enthusiastic about the final rondo “alla zingarese” (gypsy-style). In effect, it is precisely this last movement that may be called the crowning jewel in a work that is as admirable as it is little known, even today. The first movement, Allegro, does indeed contain uncommon structural components, beginning with the mysterious introduction that precedes the two main themes. The second movement, an intermezzo, is one of those dreamy pieces, full of melancholy, with which Brahms often replaced the traditional scherzo. Still more original is the Andante con moto, a broad, three-part Lied of rather severe lineaments. On the contrary, the final Rondò alla zingarese is meant to make a grand effect: thanks to its free form, the richness of its thematic invention, the frequent imitations of the cimbalom (an instrument typical of gypsy music), and its almost improvisatory spirit, it may be considered one of the young Brahms’s best pieces of chamber music.

listen to Real Media recording

1. Allegro
2. Intermezzo. Allegro ma non troppo
3. Andante con moto - Animato
4. Rondò alla zingarese

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