The Emerson String Quartets long cherished dream to record their favourite Dvork string quartets is realized with their tender-hearted and infatuated readings of the Czech geniuss middle and late quartets.
A bonanza of romantic melody, not a note on this 3-CD release has ever before been recorded by the Emersons.
Dvorks youthful and infrequently performed song cycle on the subject of love, Cypresses, provides a compelling thematic trove for several of these enamouring quartets.
Dvorks quintet reveals most of all the heart of Dvorks musical nature, both its Bohemian roots and the bracingly fresh air of his Iowa summer experience. He later explained, I should never have written . . . just so if I hadnt seen America.
ANTONN DVORK (18411904)
CD 1
String Quartet No. 10 in E flat major op. 51 (B. 92)
Es-dur en mi bmol majeur
[1] 1. Allegro ma non troppo
[2] 2. Dumka. Andante con moto
[3] 3. Romanze. Andante con moto
[4] 4. Finale. Allegro assai

String Quartet No. 11 in C major, op. 61 (B. 121)
C-dur en ut majeur
[5] 1. Allegro
[6] 2. Poco adagio e molto cantabile
[7] 3. Scherzo: Allegro vivo
[8] 4. Finale: Vivace

CD 2

String Quintet in E flat major, op. 97 "American" (B. 180)
Es-dur en mi bmol majeur
[1] 1. Allegro non tanto
[2] 2. Allegro vivo - Un poco meno mosso
[3] 3. Larghetto
[4] 4. Finale. Allegro giusto
Cypresses B. 152
[5] 1. Moderato
[6] 2. Allegro ma non troppo
[7] 3. Andante con moto
[8] 4. Poco adagio
[9] 5. Andante
[10] 6. Andante moderato
[11] 7. Andante con moto
[12] 8. Lento
[13] 9. Moderato
[14] 10. Andante maestoso
[15] 11. Allegro scherzando
[16] 12. Allegro animato

CD 3

String Quartet No. 13 in G major op. 106 (B. 192)
G-dur en sol majeur
[1] 1. Allegro moderato
[2] 2. Adagio ma non troppo
[3] 3. Molto vivace
[4] 4. Andante sostenuto - Allegro con fuoco

String Quartet No. 14 in A flat major op. 105 (B. 193) As-dur la bmol majeur
[5] 1. Adagio ma non troppo
[6] 2. Molto vivace
[7] 3. Molto vivace
[8] 4. Andante sostenuto - Allegro con fuoco

EMERSON STRING QUARTET
Eugene Drucker, violin I (opp. 51 & 97, Cypresses 712) & II
Philip Setzer violin I (opp. 61, 105 & 106, Cypresses 16) & II
Lawrence Dutton viola
David Finckel cello
with Paul Neubauer viola (op. 97)

The instruments: Stradivarius 1686 (Eugene Drucker),
Samuel Zygmuntowicz 1993 (David Finckel),
1999 (Philip Setzer) & 2003 (Lawrence Dutton)
Amati 1620 (Paul Neubauer)