We have just continued our recording of Friedrich Gernsheim’s five string quartets and two string quintets for cpo with his 4th String Quartet op. 66 in E minor. The third CD will also feature his String Quintet op. 9 in D major, which we recorded together with David Quiggle, viola, in May 2023. Gernsheim String Quartets Vol. 1 and Vol. 2 are already available in stores and have received excellent reviews.

Gernsheim (*1839 Worms, †1916 Berlin) was a composer, pianist, conductor and music teacher who is represented in all music encyclopaedias but is hardly known to anyone. Wrongly so, as we now know. Gernsheim was not only a friend of Johannes Brahms – who left audible traces in his compositions – he was also an excellent, conservative German composer of the late Romantic period who was celebrated during his lifetime. He left behind an extensive oeuvre. He wrote many chamber music works for various instrumentations (piano trio, piano quintet and quartets, string quartets, etc.), concertos and symphonies. As a Jew, his works were not allowed to be performed during the National Socialist era and were probably forgotten for this reason. However, his works, especially his chamber music, deserve to be included in concert programs much more often.

(Text: Alexandra von Weiss-Leder)