Théâtre Montansier - Aimez-vous Brahms ?
It was undoubtedly to circumvent the challenge of the string quartet, over which a Brahms in 1860 loomed, that the composer twice gave the poor relation of chamber music, the string sextet, its letters of nobility.
It was undoubtedly to circumvent the challenge of the string quartet, over which the intimidating figure of Beethoven loomed for a 27-year-old Brahms in 1860, that the composer twice gave the poor relation of chamber music, the string sextet, its letters of nobility.
Composed in 1860 and 1864 respectively, Brahms's two sextets bear witness to the novelty of the Brahmsian discourse in the European musical landscape, notably through their polyphonic refinement. While the first, Op. 18, radiates freshness and spontaneity, in keeping with the Viennese classicism of Haydn and Beethoven, in a form of renewal of the concerto grosso, the composition of the second (Op. 36) is linked to the break-up with Agathe von Siebold (whose first name provides one of the themes of the first movement), the work testifying to the blossoming of the composer's style and sensitivity.
These seemingly discreet and charming pages open the “door” to late Romanticism.
With Emmanuelle Bertrand, cello, Aurélia Souvignet-Kowalski, viola and the Quatuor Parisii.
Program:
Brahms: the two String Sextets op. 18 and op. 36
General information
Openings
Sunday 8 February 2026 between 5 pm and 6.10 pm.
Fares
Full price: 32 €, Reduced price: 15 €, Associate member: 27 €.