The Gaudier Ensemble - Dvořák: Piano Quintet No. 2 & String Quintet (1996)

Tracklist

01. Piano Quintet No. 2 in A Major, Op. 81, B. 155: I. Allegro, ma non tanto
02. Piano Quintet No. 2 in A Major, Op. 81, B. 155: II. Dumka. Andante con moto
03. Piano Quintet No. 2 in A Major, Op. 81, B. 155: III. Scherzo (Furiant). Molto vivace
04. Piano Quintet No. 2 in A Major, Op. 81, B. 155: IV. Allegro
05. String Quintet No. 2 in G Major, Op. 77, B. 49: I. Allegro con fuoco – Più mosso
06. String Quintet No. 2 in G Major, Op. 77, B. 49: II. Scherzo. Allegro vivace – Trio. L'istesso tempo, Quasi allegretto
07. String Quintet No. 2 in G Major, Op. 77, B. 49: III. Poco andante
08. String Quintet No. 2 in G Major, Op. 77, B. 49: IV. Finale. Allegro assai

The two works recorded here come from different periods in Dvořák’s career. In the String Quintet in G he dispenses with a second viola, instead placing a double bass beneath the single cello, but textural richness is not the composer’s aim: one can listen to passages of the work without sensing any pointed differences from quartet texture.

Similarly, the success of the Piano Quintet in A rests on its happy reconciliation of forces. Dvořák’s early attempts at composing for the piano had been hampered by his own lack of familiarity with the instrument, but in this work he achieves a remarkable fluency, with five instruments operating as consistent equals and in harmonious unity and balance.

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