Master Class with Günter Pichler [Brahms]

Johannes Brahms, at age 40, completed his First and Second String Quartets in 1873, with the second quartet premiered by his close friend, violinist Joseph Joachim. The first movement, Allegro non troppo, features contrapuntal devices, quirky rhythms, and passages that are pure bliss to the ear. This first movement melts into the second, more intense, movement before finishing up with a Hungarian czárdás, a song familiar to many who hear it. In this masterclass, Günter Pichler works with the Una Corda Quartet in Brahms’ Second String Quartet. Pichler’s wisdom stems from a lifetime of making music, beginning with his appointment to the Vienna Symphony Orchestra at the age of 18 before becoming concertmaster of the Vienna Philharmonic at 21 under the baton of Herbert von Karajan. A celebrated conductor and teacher, Pichler has mentored numerous prize-winning musicians, such as the Alban Berg Quartet, Artemis, and Belcea. He has also doubled as a conductor of major orchestras worldwide, such as the Stuttgart Chamber Orchestra and Royal Philharmonic of Flanders.