Some will be surprised when Dora Pejacevic is described as a contemporary of Johannes Brahms; more than fifty years lie between the births of the two and their lifetimes overlapped by only twelve years. Nevertheless, both works by Pejacevic are unmistakably in the same compositional lineage as the Brahms pieces; and both are works written at an early point in Pejacevic's remarkable (and unfortunately all too short) life. Both pieces are clearly in the Romantic tradition and show no sign of the more modern direction that her later works were to take. The Kaleidoscope Chamber Collective reports that it was immediately intoxicated by the passionate drive of Pejacevic's Piano Quartet, but also by the delicacy of its slow movement, and felt that it was the perfect partner for Brahms' First Piano Quartet, a work to which Artistic Director Tom Poster has felt a particular affinity since his student days. Brahms' piano quartet is rightly one of the most popular pieces of chamber music, and there are few works more exciting to play: The first movement offers a wealth of glorious themes, the second transports you to a mysterious dream world, the third revels in expansive lyricism, and the fiery virtuosity of the gypsy-like finale is a worthy ending. This album marks the end of the ensemble's journey through Brahms' three piano quartets. They have thoroughly enjoyed recording these works alongside three great piano quartets by composers who deserve to be much better known. However, the series will continue beyond the piano quartets: The Kaleidoscope Chamber Collective has more albums in the pipeline, bringing Brahms together with his brilliant and lesser-played contemporaries.