An opportunity to compare in detail Dvořák’s early Wagnerian-influenced chamber music with his later emergent personal voice.
If you have the stamina, here’s the entire 70 minutes of the third quartet (c.1869 when the composer was 28). Dvořák actually destroyed the score together with those of the second and fourth quartets. The third was reconstructed in the early 20th century from the individual instrumental parts and was given its first performance in 1969.
00:00 Allegro con brio
24:55 Andantino
42:07 Allegro energico. Trio
56:43 Finale. Allegretto
Two more mature works both dating from early in 1876 when the composer was 34. The unusually gloomy cast of the initial movements of both (and of the Stabat Mater which followed them) has been attributed to the death of the composer’s infant daughter, Josefa.
00:00 Allegro moderato
12:51 Largo
20:10 Scherzo. Presto – Trio. Poco meno mosso
25:51 Finale. Allegro non tanto (G minor)
00:00 Allegro
09:23 Andante con moto
17:06 Allegro scherzando — Trio
22:25 Finale. Allegro con brio
Any copyrighted material on these pages is included as “fair use”, for the purpose of study, and critical analysis only, and will be removed at the request of the copyright owner(s).