Dvorak: String Quartet No. 14 in A flat major, Op. 105 (B193)

Dvorák’s string quartets – 14 of them in all – cover the range of his career. While his earlier chamber works are often formally experimental and tonally ambitious, the quartets of his maturity are assured masterworks, even if now they are – with one exception – less well known than their craftsmanship and richness of invention palpably demonstrate that they deserve to be. Three of the four quartets on this compilation date from Dvorˇák’s late ‘American’ period and shortly afterwards. They move with mastery through melodies that could be heard as having an authentically ‘American’ tang, or indeed a flavour of the oldworld Bohemia for which the composer felt so nostalgic - and to which he would return before the last of these works, after a dispute over money with his patron.

The Guarneri Quartet were remarkable both for their longevity and their consistency of achievement until their retirement in 2007. They were a smoothly integrated ensemble almost from the start of their association in 1961, as a record executive recognised when he went to one of their early concerts and quickly signed them up. They went on to record all the standard repertoire of the genre and much more besides, and with a sweetness worthy of the instruments of their eponymous violin-maker’s name.

The Wihan Quartet, formed in 1985, are heirs to the great Czech musical tradition. The Quartet’s outstanding reputation for the interpretation of its native Czech heritage and of the many classical, romantic and modern masterpieces of the string quartet repertoire is widely acknowledged. They have developed an impressive international career, which includes visits to major festivals in Europe and the Far East. They visit the United States and Japan regularly and have had highly acclaimed tours of Australia and New Zealand. They are frequent visitors to the UK and can often be heard on BBC Radio 3 as well as in concert at many venues throughout the country.

This is the debut recording by former BBC New Generation Artist the Szymanowski Quartet, performing three contrasting works that perfectly demonstrate these young instrumentalists’ immense charisma and countless fine qualities, in the elegance of Haydn to the rustic hues of Dvorák, and the folk-tinged neo-classicism of their Polish compatriot Grazyna Bacewicz who was a protégé of the ensemble’s namesake. What links these three very different works is that they were written by composers who knew the medium from the inside; all were performers in quartets at some point during their careers.

The Szymanowski Quartet joins a distinguished roster of young artists introduced by Avie Records over the years. Since establishing themselves in Warsaw in 1995, the ensemble has won numerous international awards, including the 2005 Karol Szymanowski Award, marking the first time a string quartet had received the honour. The Quartet has performed throughout the world, at the BBC Proms, City of London, Bath and Schleswig-Holstein Festivals, in London’s Wigmore Hall, New York’s Carnegie Hall, and tours in France, Germany and Australia. Since 2000, the Szymanowski Quartet has been in Residence at the Musikhochschule in Hanover, Germany.