Programme:

Johann BRAHMS (1833-1897)
Quartet No. 2 in A major, Op. 51 No. 2
Allegro non troppo
Andante Moderato
Quasi minuetto (moderato)
Allegro non assai

Eduard TOLDRÀ (1895–1962)
“Vistes al mar” (Poetic Evocations)
Allegro con Brio
Lento (nocturno)
Molto Vivace

Two opposite personalities. While impulsiveness was not the main characteristic of Brahms, Eduard Toldrà and his work is characterised by a spontaneous, lyrical and expressive inner strength. Brahms waited until he was past 40 to undertake both the symphonic form and the quartet, not to mention his famous indecision towards Clara Schumann. Yet when he did take it on, it marked a before and an after both in terms of his melodic ability and in his mastery of the form and of the great structures. Toldrà breathed music. His explosive personality was evident when he conducted whereas curiously his work, and specifically the “Vistes al mar” quartet, was characterised by a markedly Mediterranean lyricism, often with a French perfume.