Brahms: Piano Quartets Nos. 2 & 3

Zimerman’s Chamber Music

When we think of Krystian Zimerman, we think of his glorious solo career—the 1975 Chopin Competition gold medal, the famous collaborations with Bernstein.

But Zimerman is equally devoted to chamber music. On this album, he forms a quartet with three young musicians to record Brahms’s Piano Quartets.

The Zimerman-led ensemble makes every part of this album sound like a conversation.

Brahms’s Passion

Brahms wrote three piano quartets in his life. They are not “piano with string accompaniment,” but true chamber music of four equal instruments.

The Second Piano Quartet is especially known for its passion. Critics praise this recording for “a dialogue-like rapport between instruments.”

Zimerman’s piano neither overpowers the strings nor recedes into the background. His rapport with violin, viola, and cello lets Brahms’s complex counterpoint and emotion flow naturally.

The Intimacy of Chamber Music

Unlike the grandeur of symphonies, chamber music emphasizes intimacy and dialogue.

This album lets you hear four top musicians in close conversation. No conductor, no audience applause—only four souls communicating through music.

Why Listen

Released by DG in 2025, this is among the finest Brahms piano quartet recordings of recent years.

If you love Brahms, or want to see Zimerman’s skill beyond the solo repertoire, this album is worth collecting.

Further Listening

If you love quartet repertoire, the Pavel Haas Quartet’s Martinů string quartets are another masterpiece. And Lisiecki’s Preludes offers a different landscape of solo piano.