Tchaikovsky Souvenir de Florence Budapest Strings

On her debut album for Berlin Classics, Sarah Christian performs no less a work than Tchaikovsky’s warhorse, his Violin Concerto, ably supported by the Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen under Jéremie Rhorer. For full measure, she plays Tchaikovsky’s Sextet Souvenir de Florence. This is repertoire radiant with positive energy and feelings of happiness, which are not always to be found in Tchaikovsky’s music. Sarah Christian is able to do more here than show off her brilliant technical skills; her love of chamber music can be clearly heard and clearly felt.

In all three quartets the Borodin play with an easy authority and what seems to be perfect style. There are no obvious interpretative quirks, there's nothing showy to get between the music and the listener, and it is evident that these musicians are thoroughly immersed in the authentic Russian tradition of playing Tchaikovsky's music. Technically and tonally they are first rate, and they combine well with the two excellent extra players in Souvenir de Florence.

The internationally celebrated Vermeer Quartet, known for its extensive, major-label recordings of standard repertoire, has turned to its hometown record label, Chicago’s Cedille Records, for a program of important yet surprisingly neglected Tchaikovsky works.

The string sextet genre was introduced at the end of the 18th century by Boccherini but did not fully blossom until Brahms, Tchaikovsky, before Schönberg, Reger, Martinu and Richard Strauss. Antonín Dvořák composed his sextet, his only work in that genre, in just two weeks in May 1878. His reputation as a composer was beginning to escalate, he was experienced with chamber composition, having already produced nine string quartets, a string quintet, four piano trios, a piano quartet, and a piano quintet.

The string sextet genre was introduced at the end of the 18th century by Boccherini but did not fully blossom until Brahms, Tchaikovsky, before Schönberg, Reger, Martinu and Richard Strauss. Antonín Dvořák composed his sextet, his only work in that genre, in just two weeks in May 1878. His reputation as a composer was beginning to escalate, he was experienced with chamber composition, having already produced nine string quartets, a string quintet, four piano trios, a piano quartet, and a piano quintet.