Brahms was an accomplished pianist, whose output for the piano spanned his entire life. In addition to his solo works he made four-hand piano arrangements of many of his orchestral, chamber and vocal scores, to give them greater accessibility. Written in 1859–60 and 1864–5 respectively – a period characterized by several commentators as the composer’s ‘first maturity’ – the String Sextets are among the most radiantly melodic and attractive of all his chamber works.