The Best of Czech Classics: String Quartets (SMETANA/DVORAK/SUK/NOVAK/JANACEK) - Smetana Quartet, Panocha Quartet, Skampa Quartet (3 CDs)

Bedřich Smetana - String Quartets No. 1 in E minor "From My Life" and No. 2 in D minor
Antonín Dvořák - String Quartets No. 10 in E-flat major, Op. 51 "Slavonic," No. 12 in F major, Op. 96 "American" and No. 13 in G major, Op. 106
Josef Suk - Meditation On an Old Czech Hymn "St. Wenceslas" Op. 35a
Vítězslav Novák - String Quartet No. 2 in D major, Op. 35
Leoš Janáček - String Quartet No. 1 "The Kreutzer Sonata" and No. 2 "Intimate Letters"

The Smetana Quartet, The Panocha Quartet, The Škampa Quartet

The string quartet is a genre that was neglected by few great composers of the Romantic era, and the Czech masters contributed a number of significant works to its international repertoire. Smetana's quartet "From My Life," Dvořák's "American" quartet and Janáček's "Intimate Letters" rank among the mature works of their composers and have become essential repertoire for quartets throughout the world. Furthermore, Dvořák and Suk founded an uninterrupted interpretational tradition which gave rise to a number of world-famous Czech ensembles. A direct line of descent can be traced from the Smetana Quartet, which has performed Smetana's music on hundreds of concert stages, to the Panocha Quartet, which has recorded a highly esteemed recording of the complete Dvořák quartets, and also to the Škampa Quartet, whose Janáček seethes with inimitable raw energy.

CD 1
Bedřich Smetana
String Quartet No. 1 in E minor From My Life
1. Allegro vivo appassionato 07:34
2. Allegro moderato a la polka 05:25
3. Largo sostenuto 08:45
4. Finale-Vivace. Meno presto 06:02
Bedřich Smetana
String Quartet No. 2 in D minor
5. Allegro. Molto moderato 05:31
6. Allegro moderato. Andante cantabile 05:41
7. Allegro non piú moderato, ma agitato e con fuoco 04:33
8. Finale. Presto. Allegro 02:44
Antonín Dvořák
String Quartet No. 10 in E flat major, Slavonic, Op. 51 (B.92)
9. Allegro, ma non troppo 10:46
10. Elegia. Andante con moto- Vivace 07:23
11. Romanza. Andante con moto 06:15
12. Finale. Allegro assai 07:04

CD 2
Antonín Dvořák
String Quartet No. 12 in F major American, Op. 96
1. Allegro ma non troppo 09:11
2. Lento 07:50
3. Molto vivace 03:53
4. Finale. Vivace ma non troppo 05:13
Antonín Dvořák
String Quartet No. 13 in G major, Op. 106 (B. 192)
5. Allegro moderato 09:20
6. Adagio ma non troppo 10:50
7. Molto vivace 07:10
8. Finale. Andante sostenuto - Allegro con fuoco 11:05
Josef Suk
9. Meditation on an Old Czech Hymn Saint Wenceslas, Op. 35a 06:05

CD 3
Vítězslav Novák
String Quartet No. 2 in D major, Op. 35
1. Fuga. Largo misterioso 13:32
2. Fantasia. Allegro passionato ma non troppo presto-Quasi scherzo. Allegretto moderato, ben ritmico-Tempo del comincio-Largo misterioso 17:07
Leoš Janáček
String Quartet No. 1, inspired by Tolstoy's Kreutzer Sonata
3. Adagio. Con moto 03:56
4. Con moto 04:10
5. Con moto. Vivo. Andante 03:41
6. Con moto. Adagio. Maestoso 05:06
Leoš Janáček
String Quartet No. 2 Intimate Letters
7. Andante. Con moto. Allegro 05:55
8. Adagio. Vivace 05:36
9. Moderato. Adagio. Allegro 05:32
10. Allegro. Andante. Allegro 07:16