Streichquartett G Dur

The String Quartet in G major (together with the Quartet in A flat major from the same period) is not only one of Dvorak's most mature chamber works, but also one of the leading examples of absolute music in Europe at that time. This work demonstrates supreme technical sovereignty and a masterful grasp of all the expressional devices at his disposal. In terms of form, Dvorak based his work on the traditional cyclical structure, yet he strives for unique, highly differentiated treatment, while maintaining cohesion throughout. The quartet is unusually melodic, the result of Dvorak's constant efforts to introduce new themes and, in particular, his skilful elaboration of exposed thematic material via harmonic changes, its distribution into individual motivic elements, the oscillation between major and minor keys etc. Through his deliberate use of duplets, triplets, quadruplets and quintuplets, Dvorak masks the regular metric division of the music, effecting an extraordinary rhythmical palette. As a foretaste of the "impressionism" later typical of his Erbenesque symphonic poems and his last three operas, here -- for the first time in his chamber oeuvre -- Dvorak places strong emphasis on the impact of its overall sound. The tone colour of the instrumentation, which the composer achieves using only four string instruments, is astounding (certain passages in the second movement almost give the impression of a full orchestra). The mood of the work is extremely variable, moving from a profoundly meditative, almost agonising tone in the slow movement, to the wild and unruly rhythms of the scherzo movement. The tenor in general is joyful, in a reflection of the composer's spiritual disposition at the time. - antonin-dvorak.cz