A chamber concert by the Berlin Philharmonic Piano Quartet, bringing together four top-tier musicians for a full program of Brahms’ piano quartets. It’s an all-in evening of dense, emotional, and expansive chamber music, played with the kind of precision you’d expect from Berlin Phil regulars.

About the Performance

This concert is built entirely around Johannes Brahms’ three piano quartets—works that stretch the limits of chamber music in both scale and emotional weight. Though written for four instruments, these pieces often unfold with a symphonic sense of structure and intensity.

The program moves through three distinct emotional worlds: from the lyrical and expansive Piano Quartet No. 2 in A Major, to the darker, more introspective Piano Quartet No. 3 in C Minor, and finally to the fiery, rhythmically charged Piano Quartet No. 1 in G Minor. Together, they trace a wide arc across Brahms’ mature creative period.

Performed as a complete cycle in one evening, the works demand not just technical control but a deep internal cohesion between players—something this ensemble is particularly known for.

Performers

Berlin Philharmonic Piano Quartet
Formed in 1985, the ensemble brings together members of the Berlin Philharmonic alongside internationally recognized pianists. The current lineup includes:

Luis Esnaola (Violin) – Joined the Berlin Philharmonic in 2016; prizewinner at the Sarasate International Violin Competition

Matthew Hunter (Viola) – Member of the Berlin Philharmonic since 1996; winner of the Lionel Tertis International Viola Competition

Knut Weber (Cello) – Joined the orchestra in 1998; former principal cellist of the Gustav Mahler Youth Orchestra

Markus Groh (Piano) – First German winner of the Queen Elisabeth Competition; has performed with over 140 orchestras worldwide

The group is known for its balance and interplay, treating the piano quartet not as a hierarchy but as a conversation between equals.

Event Program

Johannes Brahms:

• Piano Quartet No. 2 in A Major, Op. 26
• Piano Quartet No. 3 in C Minor, Op. 60
• Piano Quartet No. 1 in G Minor, Op. 25

Program is subject to change

Why Go

There’s something slightly obsessive—in a good way—about committing an entire evening to Brahms’ piano quartets. These aren’t casual listening pieces; they’re dense, emotional, occasionally overwhelming works that reward patience and attention.

Hearing all three in one sitting shifts the experience. Patterns emerge. Emotional threads carry across pieces. What might feel heavy in isolation starts to feel like part of a larger, unfolding argument about longing, restraint, and release.

And then there’s the performers. This isn’t a pickup ensemble—it’s a group shaped by decades inside one of the world’s most exacting orchestras. The result is less about individual virtuosity and more about control, tension, and the quiet confidence of musicians who know exactly how far to push the music without breaking it.