LDV101

Between 1861, when he composed his first string quintet, and 1895, when he completed his last two quartets, Antonín Dvořák explored almost every form of chamber music. From the sonata to the sextet, his output in this field alone includes no fewer than fourteen (completed) string quartets, five trios, three piano quartets (counting the set of Bagatelles), five quintets, a sextet and half a dozen works for violin and piano. The young Antonín, a violist by training, discovered the existence of Czech national music through contact with Smetana. Fascinated by the folklore of his native Bohemia, and gifted with inexhaustible melodic inventiveness, he went through several creative periods as he gradually broke out of the Classical mould; the last of these was deeply influenced by the years he spent in the United States. His kindness and optimism set him apart from the other great Romantics, darker and more tormented in character, and contributed to the unique charm and accessible character of his music, which have earned him justified popularity.