Quatuor Agate's New Album, "Brahms: The String Quartets"

Released on Appassionato Records, the new album features Brahms' three string quartets and an arrangement of his piano work for string quartet

Formed in 2016, the Paris-based Quatuor Agate comprises violinists Adrien Jurkovic and Thomas Descamps, violist Raphaël Pagnon, and cellist Simon Iachemet. Their name is derived from Brahms' Sextet No. 2 which was dedicated to his second love, soprano Agathe von Siebold.

Their new album, Brahms: The String Quartets, released on Appassionato Records, materializes their admiration for Brahms through his Op. 51 No. 1 and No. 2 String Quartets, his Op. 67 No. 3 String Quartet, and an arrangement by the quartet of his Op. 118 No. 5 Romanze. The quartet's arrangement of the Romanze is available for download here.

Quatuor Agate is currently an Artist-in-Residence at the Fondation Singer Polignac, a Grand Resident of ProQuartet in Paris, and an Associate Artist at the La Brèche Festival.

Violist Raphaël Pagnon shared, "I believe an inexhaustible aspect of this music is its fantastic, almost mystical dimension, imbued with references to Hoffmann and the Nordic tales that Brahms heard as a child."

To purchase and listen to the album, click here.

Listen to an excerpt of Brahms' String Quartet Op. 51 No. 1 below:

Quatuor Agate was recently named an ECHO Rising Star and is scheduled to tour across Europe in the 2024-25 season. They also annually host their CorsiClassic Festival in Ajaccio, Corsica with a mission to bring chamber music to diverse audiences.