Johannes Brahms - Complete Works for Viola, Vol. 2 (Mikhail Zemtsov & friends)

Information

Composer: Johannes Brahms

• Trio for viola, cello & piano, Op. 114
• Viola Quintet in B Minor, Op. 115
• Zwei Gesaenge for mezzo soprano, viola & piano, Op. 91
• FAE Sonata: III. Scherzo

Mikhail Zemtsov, viola

Hanna Shybayeva, cello / Timora Rosler, piano

Daniel Rowland, violin / Floor Le Coultre, violin / Maja Bogdanović, viola / Dana Zemtsov, cello

Marion van den Akker, mezzo-soprano / Victoria Dmitrieva, piano

Hanna Shybayeva, piano

Date: 2026

Label: Challenge Classics

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This second volume of Complete Works for Viola by Johannes Brahms presents Mikhail Zemtsov’s personal reinterpretation of Brahms’s late chamber works, originally associated with clarinetist Richard Mühlfeld. Featuring arrangements of the Trio Op. 114, Quintet Op. 115, Zwei Gesänge Op. 91, and the FAE Sonata Scherzo, the album highlights the viola’s rich, introspective tone. Zemtsov emphasizes the instrument’s affinity with Brahms’s expressive language, creating a unified, vocal-like sonority. As part of a complete cycle, this recording offers a deeply expressive and innovative perspective on familiar masterpieces, revealing new emotional depth.

Mikhail Zemtsov is an internationally acclaimed violist, conductor, and educator known for his versatile career as a soloist and chamber musician. He began studying violin with his mother before training in viola and composition at major conservatories in Moscow, Hamburg, and Maastricht. He later pursued conducting at the Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theatre and studied with leading conductors such as Neeme Järvi. A prize winner at prestigious competitions in Vienna and Hamburg, Zemtsov has performed with major orchestras across Europe and beyond. He is a member of the Utrecht String Quartet and founder of the Zemtsov Viola Quartet. An active teacher at Dutch conservatories, he is also widely recognized for his recordings and masterclasses worldwide.

High Resolution 24-bit / 96 kHz