The Zemlinsky Quartet, named in honor of the Viennese composer and conductor Alexander Zemlinsky, was founded in 1994 and has won numerous international awards.
Composer's Artistic Vision
Dvořák's mature style, beginning with his 8th and 9th Quartets, features individualized instrumental voices, a prominent viola, and vigorous polyphony integrating Slavonic dance rhythms and phrasing.
Instruments
František Souček, the first violinist of the Zemlinsky Quartet, plays an Italian instrument attributed to Nicolaus Gagliano (1776), which is part of the Czech State Collection.
Composition History
Dvořák began composing his String Quartet No.11 in C major, Op.61, in haste after learning from a Viennese newspaper that the Hellmesberger Quartet had announced a new quartet by him, though he had not received a commission.
Composer Biography
Antonín Dvořák, the composer, started his career as a violist in the orchestra of the Prozatimnl divadlo (Provisional Theatre).
Composition History
Dvořák composed his String Quartet No.10 in E flat major, Op.51, after receiving a commission for a 'quartet in the Slavonic character' from Jean Becker, the leader of the Florentine Quartet.
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