Piano Quintet (Brahms)

The work, "often called the crown of his chamber music,"[4] began life as a string quintet (completed in 1862 and scored for two violins, viola, and two cellos).

It is in sonata form with the exposition concluding in the major-mode submediant (D♭), which is approached through a second subject in its enharmonic parallel minor (C♯).

The first theme's heavy emphasis on D♭ prepares and smooths out this modulation, as well as its reversal with the approach to the expositional repeat.

In the recapitulation, the bridge and first half of the second theme are transposed by a fifth, with the latter beginning in F♯ minor, before the tonic key is restored halfway through.

After a cadence on the dominant C, the cello introduces the first theme of the sonata-allegro, which owes its simplicity to Brahms's interest in Hungarian folk music and also resembles the opening of the finale of Schubert's "Grand Duo" for piano four-hands.

The end of the recapitulation leads into a grave, quiet section in the initial tempo of the introduction, but it is arguably a simple reworking of the expositional closing theme (albeit in F minor).

[11] A cd recording was made in 2023 by Paul Mann conducting the BBC Symphony Orchestra on the Toccata Classics label.