String quartet n°14 in A flat major op. 105,B. 193
I. Adagio ma non troppo - Allegro appassionato
II. Molto vivace
III. Lento e molto cantabile
IV. Allegro ma non tanto
Piano quintet n°2 in A major, op. 81,B. 155
I. Allegro, ma non tanto
II. Dumka. Andante con moto
III. Scherzo. (Furiant) Molto vivace
IV. Finale. Allegro
Total playing time: 74’45
Sound Engineer: Jean-Marc Laisné.
Recorded at the Auditorium of ADAC,
place Nationale, 75013 Paris, France,
on 5, 6, 7 and 8 June 2006.
Commentary: Nicolas Southon.
AR RE-SE 2006-2
Antonin Dvorak String quartet n°14 in A flat major, op. 105,B. 193
Piano quintet n°2 in A major,op. 81,B. 155
AR RE-SE 2006-2
Le Monde de la Musique
December 2006
Patrick Szersnovicz
After having written a First Quintet for piano and strings in 1872 that he was disappointed with himself, Dvorak composes in 1887 his Quintet in A, opus 81. This is one of his best scores and reflects an optimism that is unique in this repertoire. This work is both beautiful and fragile; although not altogether comparable to the greatest Quintets for piano and strings (Schumann, Brahms, Franck, Fauré, Schmitt, Shostakovich), it has reached the same degree of fame. It is somewhat indebted to Schubert and Schumann, and a lot to Brahms, but its Slavic inflexions are characteristic of the author. Planned before the 13th Quartet but finished afterwards, the 14th Quartet (1895) is Dvorak’s very last chamber music score. Although built around four movements, this work goes back to a pre-classical order, with the Scherzo in second position. The final Rondo-sonata, which is particularly rich, starts at the lowest register of the cello before bursting into what can be called an overflow of bliss.
The young musicians of the Psophos Quartet, who won the First Grand Prize of the Bordeaux International Contest in 2001, conduct the 14th Quartet with a sweeping gesture and impose a free and precise discourse with nostalgic inflections and sudden bursts of emotion. The whole interpretation is impressively consistent, and while it is rather distant from Czech accents, it keeps its lightness and transparency. The interpretation made in collaboration with young Romanian-born pianist Dana Ciocarlie of the Quintet opus 81 is remarkable for its nostalgia and balance.
