Dvorák was only 63 when he died in 1904–comparatively young–and an artist writing at the very height of his creative powers. It’s remarkable to consider that at the time he composed these two quartets, widely considered to be the finest in the genre since late Beethoven and Schubert, he was also writing his last great operas (including Rusalka) as well as the late tone poems. Both works are very substantial, symphonic in conception, and in their slow movements contain probably the most deeply heartfelt music that Dvorák ever wrote. The Talich Quartet (a slightly different group than in past years) has always been acknowledged among the world’s finest, their Beethoven cycle being legendary. They play both quartets with idiomatic flair as well as with a softer focus and greater sense of refinement than many other Czech groups. The result plays to the music’s maturity and depth, which in these works at least, is as it should be. A fine recording, then, and while some may prefer a bit more drive in the outer movements and scherzos of both works, the many intimate moments offer ample compensation.
