Dvořák: Klavírní kvartety č. 1 a č. - 2 CD

This CD presents Antonín Dvořák’s Piano Quartet No. 1 in D major, Op. 23, composed in 1875, and Piano Quartet No. 2 in E-flat major, Op. 87, composed in 1889, performed by the Dvořák Piano Quartet: Slávka Vernerová-Pěchočová on piano, Štěpán Pražák on violin, Petr Verner on viola and Jan Žďánský on cello. Chamber music was close to Dvořák, who enjoyed making music with friends and understood the appeal of such works to publishers. The first quartet was written when he was 34, at a time when publishers were already showing considerable interest in his music. When he finally turned to the Second Quartet in 1889, he complained only of his “slow hand,” not a lack of inspiration, saying that the melodies were simply pouring out. The Viennese critic Eduard Hanslick praised the work’s exceptional beauty, observing that it rewards attentive listening. The ensemble and its members continue the strong tradition of their teachers Ivan Moravec, Josef Vlach and Milan Škampa. Their recording presents Dvořák as a traditional yet thoughtful composer, revealing the profound beauty of music written with an apparently effortless hand.