Composer: Johannes Brahms
Works: String Quartets Op. 51 Nos. 1 & 2
Ensemble: Zehetmair Quartet
(Thomas Zehetmair, Jakub Jakowicz, violins · Ruth Killius, viola · Christian Elliott, cello)
Label: ECM New Series
Release year: 2025
Available in all streaming platforms
By Damián Autorino
Editor at Moto Perpetuo
Johannes Brahms published his two string quartets Op. 51 only after years of hesitation and revision. They are works shaped by doubt, restraint, and an acute awareness of the weight of tradition. Any ensemble approaching them must decide not only how to play Brahms, but from where to approach him.
The Zehetmair Quartet does so from a position of openness and risk. Known for performing from memory, the quartet brings to these readings a sense of alertness that is immediately perceptible. Rather than aiming for monumentality, their Brahms feels searching, sometimes unsettled, often light on its feet. Lines are kept flexible, textures transparent, and dynamics finely graded — especially in quiet passages, where the playing can drop to an almost whispered intensity.
There is a strong feeling of movement and discovery throughout the two quartets. At times, the music seems to unfold as if being discovered in the moment, without ever losing structural clarity. This balance between control and freedom is one of the hallmarks of the ensemble’s approach.
Beyond interpretation, this recording also carries a particular documentary significance. The album was recorded with cellist Christian Elliott, who took part fully in the sessions and died shortly afterwards. The booklet explicitly acknowledges him, giving the recording the character of a final artistic statement. This is not presented as a narrative device, but as a simple fact — one that adds a quiet weight to the listening experience.
Taken together, these performances offer a Brahms that is inward, questioning, and alive. They avoid grand gestures in favour of concentration and intensity, and they remind us that Op. 51 is not about resolution, but about living with uncertainty.
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