Altenberg Trio . Herbert Kefer

The Altenberg Trio spoils us with two piano trios by Brahms, as well as his last piano quartet. The monumental Third Piano Quartet is more autobiographical than any other of his works. In his own words, Brahms translates into sound the struggle of a lonely person in a hopeless situation. This work became known as the 'Werther-Quartet'. Brahms himself mentions this comparison with Goethe's 'Werther' in a letter to his publisher Simrock: 'On the cover you can put a picture, of a head with a pistol in front of it. I will send you my photo to use! Now I am sure you can get a better grasp of my music. You can also use the blue jacket, yellow trousers and long boots'. Although spiked with a serious dose of typically Brahmsian self-irony, at that moment he found himself to be in a truly desperate position. More depressing music with such painful intensity has seldom been written. Brahms put all the grief of his unrequited love for Clara Schumann into his Third Piano Quartet.