MDR-Musiksommer: Brahms & Schubert 2

In the organizer's words:

Members of the MDR Symphony Orchestra

Johannes Brahms (1833-1897) Sextet in G major op. 36 for two violins, two violas and two cellos
Franz Schubert (1797-1828) Octet in F major D 803 for clarinet, bassoon, horn, two violins, viola, cello and double bass

Franz Schubert was regarded by his friends and contemporaries first and foremost as a gifted composer of piano works and lieder, although he aspired to the great form of the symphony from the very beginning. Several unfinished attempts bear witness to the difficulties on this path of development. In a letter to his friend Leopold Kupelwieser in 1824, he declared that he wanted to "pave his way to the symphony" with the help of instrumental chamber music works, including the octet. By adding a second violin to Beethoven's septet, he achieved an almost orchestral sonority which, together with the work's structure reminiscent of Mozart's divertimenti, exerts an incomparable appeal on the listener.