CCMusic.com

Pierre Fouchenneret, Lise Berthaud, Francois Salque and Eric Le Sage write of this new release: "One crazy day, a few of us decided to embark on a project which, at the time, some people deemed impossible to achieve: to perform all of Brahms's chamber music within only a few months. Every concert would be recorded with our sights set on an unprecedented, magical objective- the complete chamber works of that great Viennese composer performed by the same musicians. In a matter of a few months, during which we were constantly phoning each other, we brought some passionate musicians into our ranks who were not frightened off by the folly of the project... We are now a company, as in the theatre, bonded by an unstoppable urge, a definite notion of boldness, a shared perception of chamber music and a love for the repertoire. We know to a T our individual playing characteristics: one player's touch, another's bow stroke, each other's breathing, and so on. After hours of rehearsals and discussions, we honed our vision of the repertoire which ensured that the project is coming together nicely. It is a two phase endeavor- the concert and the album... We share the passion of this peerless musician who more than anyone cherished chamber music ensembles; composed for them his entire life; was equally comfortable in duets as he was in sextets; and whose enthusiasm and legendary ardour flowed into his writing at a crossroads of classical rigor and romantic impulse."