New Arrivals/Restock

Title: Brahms & Contemporaries, Vol. 2
Artist: Markiyan Melnychenko
Label: Chandos
Product Type: COMPACT DISCS
UPC: 095115232927
Genre: Classical Artists
Release Date: 2025-05-16
Number of Discs: 1

Brahms's Third Piano Quartet gestated for a long time - the first sketches were made in 1855, whilst the work was not completed until 1875. Numerous commentators tie the work to Brahms's infatuation with Clara Schumann, who certainly heard many of the various iterations of the piece before it's final version. But Brahms did not write programme music, and whatever his motivations may or may not have been, the result is, like the rest of his output, pure music. Louise Heritte-Viardot was a French singer, pianist, conductor, and composer. She was born in Paris, the eldest child of Pauline Viardot-Garcia and Louis Viardot, and sister to the violinist and conductor Paul Viardot. Her singing career was cut short by illness, but with the help of Clara Schumann she found a second career as a singing teacher at the Hoch Conservatory, in Frankfurt. In contrast to Brahms's quartet, Viardot's work is extremely programmatic. Titled I'm Sommer (In Summer), it comprises four movements which also carry evocative titles: 'Morning, in the Woods', 'Flies and Butterflies', 'Sultriness', and 'Evening, under the Oak-tree'.

Tracks:
1.1 Quartet No. 1, Op. 9 'Im Sommer' in A major for Violin, Viola, Cello, and Piano~Des Morgens, im Walde (Morning, in the Woods). Allegro un poco animato
1.2 Quartet No. 1, Op. 9 'Im Sommer' in A major for Violin, Viola, Cello, and Piano~Fliegen und Schmetterlinge (Scherzo) (Flies and Butterflies). Presto - Più Moderato - Presto - Più Moderato - Presto - Tranquillo - Presto - Tranquillo - Presto - Con molto brio - Più Moderato - Presto - Più Moderato - P
1.3 Quartet No. 1, Op. 9 'Im Sommer' in A major for Violin, Viola, Cello, and Piano~Die Schwüle (Sultriness). Lento - Andantino - Lento. Tempo I - Poco meno lento
1.4 Quartet No. 1, Op. 9 'Im Sommer' in A major for Violin, Viola, Cello, and Piano~Abends, unter der Eiche (Bauerntanz) (Evening, under the Oak-tree [Peasant Dance]). Vivo - Allegretto - Poco ritenuto - Tempo I (Allegretto) - Poco ritenuto - Con brio - Tempo I - Tranquillo ma non lento - Tempo I - Anim
1.5 Quartet No. 3, Op. 60 in C minor for Piano, Violin, Viola, and Cello~Allegro non troppo
1.6 Quartet No. 3, Op. 60 in C minor for Piano, Violin, Viola, and Cello~Scherzo. Allegro
1.7 Quartet No. 3, Op. 60 in C minor for Piano, Violin, Viola, and Cello~Andante
1.8 Quartet No. 3, Op. 60 in C minor for Piano, Violin, Viola, and Cello~Finale. Allegro comodo - Tranquillo e sempre pianissimo - Tempo I - Ben sostenuto