Brahms String Sextet No. 1

The Wiener Streichsextett, founded in 1981, probably is one of the most famous ensembles of all time in its genre. In these recordings they present the rarely performed — but highly acclaimed — String Sextets of Johannes Brahms. The ensemble shines with perfect interplay and rousing emotionality.

The Wiener Streichsextett, founded in 1981, probably is one of the most famous ensembles of all time in its genre. In these recordings they present the rarely performed — but highly acclaimed — String Sextets of Johannes Brahms. The ensemble shines with perfect interplay and rousing emotionality.

Close to the Schumanns and admired by Mendelssohn and Wagner, Theodor Kirchner (1823–1903) was an accomplished pianist, organist and composer in his own right. His lifelong friendship with Brahms began when the two men met at the spa town of Baden-Baden in 1865. Robert Schumann had already mentioned him in the same breath as Brahms in the influential 1853 article which effectively launched Brahms’s career.

Theodor Kirchner (1823-1903) had been friends with Brahms since 1862 and was enthusiastic about his music. This enthusiasm is reflected in several arrangements of his works, which were so successful that they won Brahms' explicit approval. The two piano trios based on the string sextets Op. 18 and Op. 36 presented here are among the particularly exquisite adaptations.