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Complete works for viola - Vol. 2

Mikhail Zemtsov & friends

Label: Challenge Classics
Catalogue number: CC 720027
EAN / barcode: 0608917200270
Release date: 2 April 2026

This second volume of Johannes Brahms: Complete Works for Viola continues Mikhail Zemtsov's deeply personal exploration of Brahms's late chamber masterpieces, heard through the warm, human voice of the viola. Centered on works originally inspired by clarinetist Richard Mühlfeld, this album reimagines the Trio Op. 114, Quintet Op. 115, Zwei Gesänge Op. 91, and the Scherzo from the FAE Sonata from a new sonic perspective - one that reveals an intimate, unified string sonority and an expressive depth uniquely suited to the viola. Particularly striking is Brahms's instinctive use of the viola's lowest register, drawing the listener immediately into a world of introspection, tenderness, and inward poetry. More than a scholarly project, this recording is a heartfelt artistic statement, born from Zemtsov's conviction that the viola holds a special affinity with Brahms's musical language. By pairing the instrument with kindred voices - strings, piano, and the human voice - the album invites listeners to rediscover these iconic works as profoundly vocal, homogenous, and emotionally resonant creations. As the second chapter (volume 2) in a complete cycle commemorating Brahms's legacy, this release offers not just an alternative version of familiar masterpieces, but a compelling re-illumination of their inner soul.

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Tracklist

01 Trio for viola, cello & piano, Op. 114: I. Allegro 07:07
02 Trio for viola, cello & piano, Op. 114: II. Adagio 07:19
03 Trio for viola, cello & piano, Op. 114: III. Andantino grazioso 04:33
04 Trio for viola, cello & piano, Op. 114: IV. Allegro 04:34
05 Viola Quintet in B Minor, Op. 115: I. Allegro 12:42
06 Viola Quintet in B Minor, Op. 115: II. Adagio 11:06
07 Viola Quintet in B Minor, Op. 115: III. Andantino 04:25
08 Viola Quintet in B Minor, Op. 115: IV. Con moto 09:01
09 Zwei Gesaenge for mezzo soprano, viola & piano, Op. 91: No. 1, Gestillte Sehnsucht 06:05
10 Zwei Gesaenge for mezzo soprano, viola & piano, Op. 91: No. 2, Geistliches Wiegenlied 05:50
11 FAE Sonata: III. Scherzo 05:24