Since our quartet was founded, these three works have been part of our core and favorite repertoire. Many powerful emotional memories connect us to the works performed here—moments of fulfillment and happiness, but also of helplessness. We have certainly grown through and with these pieces.
When attempting to capture something for eternity, the temptation is naturally great to get lost in countless details. That is why it was important to us during the recording to achieve a natural, unforced performance—to experience the compositions on every level and allow the transformation of something rehearsed into something intuitive to take place.

We had wanted to record Brahms in particular for a long time. His Quartet in C minor moved us deeply from the very first moment. With Beethoven’s String Quartet in G Major, Op. 18 No. 2—a piece imbued with youthful energy—and Béla Bartók’s Third String Quartet, a composition that is incredibly dense yet brimming with vitality and richness, we have selected three works that are particularly close to our hearts.
Even before this recording was made, it had become clear that Ayako would be returning to Japan to begin a new chapter in her life. We are very happy and grateful that we were able to record these works, which have connected us over the past few years, together with her. We would like to thank her from the bottom of our hearts for the last five years, the many wonderful concerts, and the exciting time we spent together.

Since December 2012, we have been delighted to have found a wonderful violist in the Estonian Lisa Randalu and warmly welcome her to the quartet.
We would like to extend special thanks to the Association of Friends and Supporters of the Cologne University of Music and Dance, who made this recording possible. We also thank the Villa Musica Foundation and Westdeutscher Rundfunk for their support and trust in our quartet.

We are deeply grateful to our mentors Harald Schoneweg, Günter Pichler, and the members of the Alban Berg Quartet for their dedicated guidance in music.
Finally, we would like to extend a special thank you to our parents and friends, who make it possible for us to live our passion for music.

L.v. Beethoven op.18/2 G-Dur

1. Allegro
2. Adagio cantabile
3. Scherzo. Allegro
4. Allegro molto quasi presto

Béla Bartók Quartett Nr. 3 Sz 85

1. Prima parte. Moderato
2. Seconda parte. Allegro
3. Ricapitulazione della prima parte

J. Brahms Quartett op. 51 c-Moll

1. Allegro
2. Romanze. Poco adagio
3. Allegretto molto moderato e comodo
4. Allegro

Berlin Classics, 2017