Gabriela & Johannes

Unique instrument voicings and unexpected structural patterns establish Brahms’ String Quintet No. 1 as one of the composers more adventurous chamber works. With the addition of a second viola to the medium of string quartet, this five instrument ensemble transformed what was previously a work for two pianos into a work that even prompted Brahms to write to his publisher saying “you have never before had such a beautiful work from me.” In Gabriela Lena Frank’s piece for string quartet, “Leyendas: An Andean Walkabout”, the composer mixes elements of western classical and Andean folk traditions, “drawing inspiration from the idea of mestizaje as envisioned by the Peruvian writer Jose María Arguedas, wherein cultures co-exist without the subjugation of one by the other.” This multi movement work expands the expressive depth of the traditionally western classical instrumentation of string quartet, evoking Andean instruments and traditions throughout the work.