Antoine Tamestit, James Ehnes en vrienden spelen Brahms' Strijkkwintet nr. 2

Antoine Tamestit and James Ehnes

Violist James Ehnes and violist Antoine Tamestit are bringing their friends to the Kleine Zaal, and these are not just established musicians. Viola player Sào Soulez Larivière, who could be heard last season in the Young Dutch Musicians series, is also present. In this way, the younger generation grows under the tutelage of the older one. 'The impeccable technique, the purity of his sound, and the extent to which everything always feels elegant and exactly right...' is how The Strad describes characteristics of Ehnes' playing. The Canadian violinist plays a Stradivarius from 1715. Bachtrack wrote of Antoine Tamestit: 'He has impeccable technique, and combines his natural musicality with an almost effortless communicative power.' For their chamber music evening in the Kleine Zaal, they selected Brahms' lyrical string quintets.

Brahms' String Quintet No. 2

Brahms' magnificent Second String Quintet dates from 1890, the year the iconic photograph of the old composer with a full, white beard was taken. Music could hardly sound more Brahms-like; it contains everything, from bittersweet melancholy to Hungarian temperament. Brahms himself thought this would be his last work; he felt he had said everything. That was not true: eleven more opus numbers followed, including the famous Clarinet Quintet . Brahms' final creative period rounded off a unique oeuvre, in which the high expectations with which Schumann had pressured the young Brahms were fully met.