With Emmanuelle Bertrand, cello and Aurélia Souvignet Kowalski, viola

It was no doubt to avoid the challenge of the string quartet, over which the intimidating figure of Beethoven loomed for the 27-year-old Brahms, that the composer turned to writing for string sextet. Composed in 1860 and 1864 respectively, Brahms's two sextets bear witness to the novelty of his discourse in the European musical landscape, particularly through their polyphonic refinement. While the first radiates freshness and spontaneity and is in keeping with Viennese classicism, the composition of the second testifies to the blossoming of the composer's style and sensitivity. These pages, apparently so discreet and charming, open the door to the late Romanticism.

Brahms : Two sextets op. 18 and op. 36