Piano Quartets Nos. 1-3

Following their Autumn 2007 release of Brahms's Double Concerto and Clarinet Quintet, Renaud and Gautier Capuçon further their plan to record the composer's complete solo and chamber works for Virgin Classics. After Renaud's collaboration with Nicholas Angelich for the violin sonatas, later joined by Gautier for the piano trios, French violist Gérard Caussé joined them in Lugano last December to record Brahms's three piano quartets.

According to Gramophone Magazine, the Capuçon's Brahms piano trios are "sure to kindle anyone's enthusiasm for Brahms. Warm, beautifully balanced tone stresses the composer's romantic side, as does the expansive phrasing. There's a feeling of spontaneity, too, as though each player is discovering new aspects to the music while recording it...The way they are able to strike a balance between Brahms's energetic flow of ideas, his strongly delineated structures, and his lyrical intensity is most satisfying."