String Sextets (1996)

"Brahms' string sextets represent some of his most gracious and beautiful chamber writing. L'Archibudelli upset my expectations and consequently shocked me. The sound - leaner, more "buzzy," particularly in the lower instruments - took me a while to get used to. I must say that the playing itself is marvelous, the chamber ideal of each player simultaneously shaping his own phrases independently of the others and subordinating his matter to momentarily more important lines. L'Archibudelli clarify Brahms' counterpoint - an important part of Brahms' music - like nobody's business in works which tend to thickness and overstuffing. However, with these gains, we lose the rich sonorities of, say, Heifetz and his friends. Again, L'Archibudelli sings within an "historically-informed" context, but I doubt most would want this version as your only." (classical.net)