“One of my finest works,” is what Brahms said to Clara Schumann about his String Quintet, Opus 88. Brahms was also the inspiration for the masterful Clarinet Quintet by Sir Arthur Somervell. These two works are introduced by the hauntingly beautiful, African American Spiritual-inspired Movements for String Quartet by Nkeiru Okoye, a young American composer of Nigerian ancestry.

Movements for String Quartet • Nkeiru Okoye
String Quartet

Quintet in G Major • Sir Arthur Somervell
Clarinet and String Quartet

String Quintet No. 1 in F Major, Op. 88, “Spring” • Johannes Brahms
Two Violins, Two Violas, and Cello

JJ Koh, Clarinet • David Perry & Ann Palen, Violins • Christopher Dozoryst & Allyson Fleck, Violas • Paula Kosower, Cello

Sponsored by Barbara Gould