Brahms was one of the first composers to write for pairs of violins, violas and cellos, blazing the trail for Dvorak, Tchaikovsky, Korngold and Schoenberg. His two sextets are early works, composed in 1860 and 1865 respectively. The members of the Belcea Quartet called in their friends Tabea Zimmermann and Jean-Guihen Queyras to record these peaks of the chamber repertory. (Alpha)
