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Dvorák: Piano Quartets Nos. 1 and 2
Supraphon

Dvorák: Piano Quartets Nos. 1 and 2

$31.99 Only 1 left

Details

Composer
DVORAK, ANTONIN
Artist
DVORAK PIANO QUARTET
Format
CD
Label
Supraphon
Released
Nov 16, 2018
Catalog #
SU4257-2
UPC
099925425722

About

Antonín Dvorák had a passion for chamber music; he liked playing it with friends, and perhaps soon came to realize how good a commercial commodity such pieces represented. He wrote the first of his two piano quartets at the age of 34, by which time many a publisher was interested in his works. The Czech media voiced their satisfaction that Dvorák had moved beyond foreign influence, with the Slavic spirit having prevailed in his music. Cases in point include his Moravian Duets, Op. 20, and Serenades, Op. 22, created at the same time. The publisher Fritz Simrock bitterly regretted having rejected the first quartet, persistently reminding the composer: "I would gladly take a piano quartet, preferably even two". When in the summer of 1889 Dvorák got down to writing his second quartet, he complained of having a "slow hand", yet stressed that he had plenty of ideas: "My head is full of it... I have finished three movements of a new quartet with piano, and the finale will be ready in a few days. It has gone smoothly beyond expectation, with the melodies rolling in to me." The sheer beauty of the piece was cogently described by the prominent Vienna-based critic Eduard Hanslick: "The quartet requires that the listener be considerably attentive and well informed, which, however, really pays off." The ensemble bearing the composer's name have linked up to the feted tradition of their great teachers - Ivan Moravec, Josef Vlach and Milan Škampa. They present Dvorák at his finest, both conventional and sophisticated.

Tracklist 7 tracks

  1. 1 I. Allegro moderato 15:12
    Track
    1
    Title
    I. Allegro moderato
    Duration
    15:12
    Composer
    Antonín Dvořák
    Ensemble
    Dvořák Piano Quartet
  2. 2 II. Andantino con variazioni 12:49
    Track
    2
    Title
    II. Andantino con variazioni
    Duration
    12:49
    Composer
    Antonín Dvořák
    Ensemble
    Dvořák Piano Quartet
  3. 3 III. Finale: Allegretto scherzando 08:11
    Track
    3
    Title
    III. Finale: Allegretto scherzando
    Duration
    08:11
    Composer
    Antonín Dvořák
    Ensemble
    Dvořák Piano Quartet
  4. 4 I. Allegro con fuoco 08:42
    Track
    4
    Title
    I. Allegro con fuoco
    Duration
    08:42
    Composer
    Antonín Dvořák
    Ensemble
    Dvořák Piano Quartet
  5. 5 II. Lento 10:17
    Track
    5
    Title
    II. Lento
    Duration
    10:17
    Composer
    Antonín Dvořák
    Ensemble
    Dvořák Piano Quartet
  6. 6 III. Allegro moderato, grazioso 07:51
    Track
    6
    Title
    III. Allegro moderato, grazioso
    Duration
    07:51
    Composer
    Antonín Dvořák
    Ensemble
    Dvořák Piano Quartet
  7. 7 IV. Finale: Allegro ma non troppo 09:24
    Track
    7
    Title
    IV. Finale: Allegro ma non troppo
    Duration
    09:24
    Composer
    Antonín Dvořák
    Ensemble
    Dvořák Piano Quartet