Before becoming known as a composer, Dvořák spent a decade as a dependable viola player and a stalwart of the opera orchestra of Prague's Czech theatre.
Performer Biography
Miguel da Silva, the violist on this recording, was a member of the renowned Quatuor Ysaÿe from 1984 to 2014 and is a Master in residence at the Queen Elisabeth Music Chapel.
Recording & Production
This album is the third recording in a four-CD series focusing on Dvořák's chamber music with keyboard, a collaboration between Outhere Music and the Queen Elisabeth Music Chapel.
Performer Biography
The Busch Trio, a young English trio, became artists in residence at the Queen Elisabeth Music Chapel in September 2014, which led to this ambitious recording project.
Compositional Technique
The Bagatelles, composed in 1878, were written for harmonium, two violins, and cello, an unusual combination reflecting the popular domestic instrument of the time.
Composition History
Dvořák's First Piano Quintet in A major was nearly lost to posterity because he tore up and burned his manuscript, but a copy made by an amateur pianist, Ludevít Procházka, saved it.
Instruments
Mathieu van Bellen, the violinist of the Busch Trio, plays a G.B. Guadagnini violin from Turin, 1783, which was previously owned by the legendary violinist Adolf Busch.
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Bacewicz: Piano Quintets Nos. 1 & 2, Quartet for 4 Violins and Quartet for 4 Cellos
Spohr: Piano Trio Op. 119 / Piano Quintet Op. 130
Shostakovich: Cello Sonata, Op. 40 / Piano Quintet, Op. 57
Fauré: Piano Quintet No. 1; Piano Quartet No. 1
Schmidt: Piano Quintets Nos. 1 & 2
Franck & Chausson: Piano Chamber Music
Onslow: Piano Quintet, Op. 79bis & Piano Sextet, Op. 30
