Dvorak String Quartets 10 & 11

Talich Quartet

In 1975 Paris discovered the four Czech musicians of the Talich Quartet and was dumbfounded by the depth of their harmony and the reach of their melody. The first recording followed a year later. The subject was Antonín Dvorák, the object the ‘American’ Quartet. An interpretation that has become legendary … Since then, the Talich Quartet has been characterised, both in record and in concert and through all its changes in personnel, by a specific tone, a particular sonority that has always riveted the attention. Now, with its poetic playing, its subtle, tender lyricism, the group returns at last to Dvorák with the Quartets nos.10 and 11. In their time, these two works enjoyed genuine popular success. They were played all over Europe, and gained Dvorák a reputation as one of the most important chamber music composers of his day. The Talich Quartet offers us here a chance to discover and appreciate these two masterpieces that have been unfairly overshadowed by the fame of the ‘American’ Quartet.

Dvorák:
 String Quartet No. 10 in E flat major, Op. 51 (B92)
 String Quartet No. 11 in C major, Op. 61 (B121)

"The present incarnation of the Talich Quartet is of course well seasoned to this repertoire. Their playing is both considered and affectionate, but rises to remarkable heights in the performance of the C major Quartet; one of the best I have heard...All in all, this is a fine issue and the performance of the C major Quartet a genuine classic."
BBC Music Magazine - Awards Issue 2015 *****