Dvorak: String Quartet No. 12 in F major, Op. 96 'American'

In its valedictory release, the world-renowned Tokyo String Quartet presents a pair of well loved chamber works offering a glimpse into the private world of two Czech composers. Antonín Dvorak and Bedrich Smetana – although they were sometimes regarded as musical opposites in their homeland – together they came to represent the quintessential sound of 19th-century Czech music.

Regarded as one of the supreme chamber ensembles of the world, the Tokyo String Quartet has captivated audiences and critics alike since it was founded 45 years ago. Performing over 100 concerts worldwide each season, the quartet has a devoted international following that includes the major capitals of the world and extends to all four corners of the globe.

Officially formed in 1969 at the Juilliard School of Music, the Tokyo String Quartet traces its origins to the Toho School of Music in Tokyo, where the founding members were profoundly influenced by Professor Hideo Saito. An exclusive collaboration with Deutsche Grammophon (more than 40 landmark recordings) firmly established it as one of the world’s leading quartets. The ensemble's recordingss for harmonia mundi USA have included an acclaimed cycle of Beethoven’s string quartets. Its most recent release was devoted to the Brahms Quintets Op. 34 (with Jon Nakamatsu, piano) and Op. 115 (with Jon Manasse, clarinet).

Violinists Alejandro Carreño and Boris Suaréz, violist Ismel Campos and cellist Aimon Mata breathe new life into three gems of the string quartet repertoire, performed with the perfect balance of classical refinement and South American panache.

The SBSQ comprises key players of DG exclusive recording artist Gustavo Dudamel’s Simón Bolívar Symphony Orchestra of Venezuela. This is a debut recording that musically and thematically reflects the young ensemble’s extraordinary story and progressive pursuits.

This is DG’s first recording of Argentine composer Alberto Ginastera’s particularly difficult 1948 String Quartet no. 1, inspired by the vivacious dance rhythms of his homeland

Shostakovich’s deeply personal String Quartet no. 8 is dedicated “to the victims of fascism and war,” a theme which particularly speaks to the SBSQ

In another DG first, the SBSQ adds South American flavour to the “American” String Quartet, one of Dvořák’s celebrations of his visit to the New World

This is the first in a series of Dvořák’s String Quartets performed by the sensational Vogler Quartet. Dvořák’s String Quartets number among the best in their genre and cpo is delighted to have the Vogler Quartet on board to record such a gigantic task.

The Vogler Quartet is a phenomenon. Its membership has remained unchanged since 1985 and over the years they have become one of the world’s top chamber ensembles.

Sono Luminus presents this uniquely engaging collection of music that embodies the American spirit in Americana, the latest release by Modern Mandolin Quartet. The package will be a 2-disc set, containing a Blu-ray™ Surround Sound disc as well as a standard CD.

Expressing their opinion on their choices of musical selections for this album, the quartet writes, “This music attracted us because of the wonderful way it sounds on our instruments, particularly the Dvorák. Since the musical character of the pieces is based on various forms of American music, it lends itself extremely well to the mandolin. While many selections for piano and string music rely on idioms and techniques that may not transpose well to the mandolin, the pieces included on this disc were chosen for their vitality and the way they jumped right off the page.”

Fanfare Magazine exclaims, “MMQ play dead-straight, spot-on, and packed with freshness and vitality of a kind that is rare in material of this type. These are not down-scaled, make-em-easy, just-for-kicks charts either - they are a Major Thing. TRIPLE MUST!”

The Modern Mandolin Quartet was formed in 1985 to give a new voice to that most American of musical instruments, the mandolin. Following the tradition of the mandolin orchestras and chamber groups from the early twentieth century, the MMQ uses the instruments of the mandolin family which correspond to the conventional string quartet (two mandolins, mandola, and mandocello). To date the Quartet has arranged and performed over 90 works originally written for orchestra, chamber ensemble, piano, guitar, and string quartet.

"I’m satisfied. It went quickly... " Antonín Dvořák jotted down at the end of the sketch for his String Quartet Op. 96. The work, one of the most beautiful quartet pieces in the history of music, originated in America hard on the heels of the “New World” Symphony. I wanted to write for once something very melodious and simple, and I always kept Papa Haydn before my eyes. The American critics lavished it with praise: “Why didn’t Dvořák come here earlier, since he can write such great music in America.” The “American” quartet, and, perhaps to an even greater extent, the subsequent quartet, Op. 106, the first composition Dvořák created after his return from America, are a heartfelt matter for the youthful Pavel Haas Quartet.

In the wake of the previous, highly acclaimed recordings of the complete quartet works of Janáček, Haas and Prokofiev (Classic FM Gramophone Award, BBC Music Magazine Award, MIDEM Cannes Classical Award, etc.), the ensemble displays its outstanding qualities performing the paramount Dvořák pieces too: equilibrium between precision and spontaneity, remarkable interplay and the “solo” potential of all the musicians.

The most popular Dvořák’s chamber repertoire performed by one of the world’s most exciting string quartets.

Recording locations: Decca Studio 3, West Hampstead, London, UK, October 1963 (Op. 96); Sofiensaal, Vienna, Austria, October 1969 (Op. 77), May 1975 (Op. 47), April 1971 (Opp. 48, 97)

This recording forms part of a series of 10 reissues celebrating the glorious Decca recordings from the 1950s-1970s of the Wiener Oktett (Vienna Octet), made up of key principals from the Wiener Philharmoniker and the Vienna Symphony Orchestra. Five titles were released in September and the remaining five are released this month.

The Vienna Octet recorded just three works by Dvorák – two String Quintets and the A major String Sextet – all of which are included here. They are here coupled with his most popular String Quartet, the so-called ‘American’ in a performance by the Janáček Quartet that has never been out of the catalogue, and a first release on CD, the Bagatelles for the unusual combination of two violins, cello and harmonium – delightful little pieces with the Vienna Philharmonia Quintet’s recording here receiving its first release on CD.

Tully Potter’s informative liner notes focus on both, the music and the musicians on this anthology.