First published at 23:55 UTC on August 18th, 2022.
String Quintet No. 2 in G major, Op. 111 by Johannes Brahms
Brahms completed this, his second and final string quintet, in 1890. The premiere performance of this work was given the same year in Vienna. The work has the nickname ‘Prater’ quintet, ba…
MORE
String Quintet No. 2 in G major, Op. 111 by Johannes Brahms
Brahms completed this, his second and final string quintet, in 1890. The premiere performance of this work was given the same year in Vienna. The work has the nickname ‘Prater’ quintet, based on a conversation Brahms had with a friend in which the friend suggests that the lively tone of the work was like a Prater “(Public Park) – to which Brahms would say “You guessed it!”.
Brahms was 57 when he composed this quintet, and had indicated he intended to retire after this work, saying he ‘had achieved enough; here I had before me a carefree old age and could enjoy it in peace”. However, Brahms would be tempted into composing further works after hearing the clarinet virtuoso Richard Mühlfeld.
This quintet is comprised of four movements:
I. Allegro non troppo, ma con brio
II. Adagio
III. Un poco allegretto
IV. Vivace ma non troppo presto
LESS