String Quartets of Schubert, Dvorak

Dragon Quartet

16,9934,49
(9 press reviews)
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Original Recording Format: DSD 256
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Dvorák wrote his String Quartet opus 96 in just three days while on holiday in Spillville, a little colony of Bohemian emigrants in Iowa. He stayed there in the pleasant company of farmers, friendly priests and hearty housewives, among whom he could speak his native language. It has been suggested that this may explain the relative simplicity of the work. About his stay in Spillville Dvorák wrote: ‘As far as my new Symphony, the F-major String Quartet and the Piano Quintet (written here in Spillville) are concerned – I would never have written them in this way if I had not seen America’.
The themes of the four movements seem to originate from Bohemian or American folk tunes, in view of the fact that they are based on the pentatonic scale F-G-A-C-D. The second movement suggests a melancholic negro spiritual, as if the Bohemian Dvorák is writing to get his own homesickness out of his mind. The sparkling third movement (Scherzo) imitates the rhapsodic warbling of an American bird, the Scarlet Tanager. The quartet closes with a rondo in which echoes are heard of the church music of ‘Bohemian’ Spillville, which Dvorák and his wife regularly took part in. And do we also hear a steam train speeding along in the distance?

Tracklist

Please note that the below previews are loaded as 44.1 kHz / 16 bit.
1.
Quartet in D minor - Allegro
10:46
2.
Quartet in D minor - Andante con moto
13:41
3.
Quartet in D minor - Scherzo
03:41
4.
Quartet in D minor - Presto
09:00
5.
Quartet no. 12 in F Major - Allegro ma non troppo
09:34
6.
Quartet no. 12 in F Major - Lento
07:50
7.
Quartet no. 12 in F Major - Molto vivace
04:03
8.
Quartet no. 12 in F Major - Finale
05:01

Total time: 01:03:36

Additional information

Label

SKU

39417

Qualities

, , , , ,

Channels

, ,

Artists

Composers

,

Genres

,

Cables

van der Hul

Digital Converters

Horus

Editing Software

Pyramix

Mastering Engineer

Jared sacks

Mastering Room

Grimm LS1

Microphones

Bruel & Kyaer

Mixing Board

Rens Heijnis custom made

Instruments

, , ,

Original Recording Format

Producer

Jared Sacks

Recording Engineer

Jared Sacks

Recording location

Renswoude, The Netherlands

Recording Software

Merging

Recording Type & Bit Rate

DSD256

Release DateMay 20, 2017

Press reviews

Audiophile Audition [Best Of The Year] 5 out of 5

(…) debut recording of a powerhouse Chinese ensemble (…) This could be the group that moves into the spot vacated by the now defunct Tokyo String Quartet. It is a tremendous debut and very well recorded.

Luister

Wat we horen is strijkkwartetspel op hoog niveau. Virtuoos, fraai van klank (…)

klassik.com

Mit ihrer ersten CD liefern die vier Musiker des Dragon Quartet eine erstklassige Leistung ab. Ihre in jeder Hinsicht stimmige Interpretation zeigt, dass man auch häufig gespielte Werke immer wieder aufs Neue entdecken kann. (…) Schon nach den ersten Takten von Schuberts Streichquartett weiß der Hörer, dass die Solisten des Dragon Quartet genau wissen, was sie da tun. (…) Auch das ‚Amerikanische’ Quartett von Dvo?ák steht seinem Vorgänger hinsichtlich der Stimmigkeit der Interpretation, der Ausgewogenheit des Klangs, der Brillanz der Virtuosität und nicht zuletzt der Schönheit des Klangs in nichts nach. (…) Vielversprechender kann ein Debut kaum sein.

Music Emotion

Zeer fraaie uitvoering.

Diapason 4 out of 5

La dynamique, l’intonation et la cohésion sont en tout cas superlatives.

De Volkskrant 4 out of 5

Schubert springt bij de Chinezen tevoorschijn als een gespierde dichter. En Dvorák toont zijn weemoed zonder effectbejag.

Nederlands Dagblad

Ze geven een levendige, op en top muzikale interpretatie van deze muziek.

The Guardian

If you don’t already have recordings and want this combination, these are fresh, played with pinpoint accuracy, well paced and free from excessive vibrato (noticeably in the opening bars of the Schubert). If “Death in the Maiden” feels a little cool for some tastes, the Dvorák is a delight.

Opus Klassiek

Ze kennen hun Dvorák en hun Schubert, en ze spelen … de sterren van de hemel. (…)
een opname die klinkt als een klok.

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