Johannes Brahms – Sextet #1 in B Flat Maj. – Op. 18

Johannes Brahms - Sextet #1 in B Flat Maj. - Op. 18I’ll admit it, I only tracked this down after becoming obsessed with the short snippet of the Andante Ma Moderato movement featured in the Star Trek: The Next Generation episode Sarek. This CD pressing of a 1952 monaural performance sounds an awful lot like – no, make that exactly the same version used in a pivotal scene in that show. I was curious as to what else there was to this lovely piece of music, and was not disappointed; my interest in it has certainly rating: 3 out of 4transcended the means through which I discovered it. If you’re into very heavy, funereal chamber music, I give this my highest recommendation; it’s one of my favorite classical pieces of all time. The slow, stately, mournful second movement alone is worth the price of purchase.

Order this CD

  1. Allegro ma non troppo (12:16)
  2. Adante, ma moderato (10:27)
  3. Scherzo – Allegro molto – Trio. Animato (2:53)
  4. Rondo – Poco allegretto e grazioso (11:08)

Released by: CBS Masterworks
Release date: 1952 (released on CD in 1988)
Total running time: 36:44