Dvorák: String Quartet No.12/Piano Quintet

Antonin Dvorak (Composer), Juilliard String Quartet (Performer), Rudolf Firkusny (Performer) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Performer: Juilliard String Quartet, Rudolf Firkusny
• Composer: Antonin Dvorak
• Audio CD (June 2, 1992)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Sony
• ASIN: B0000027VD
• Also Available in: Audio Cassette
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #124,115 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. String Quartet No. 12 in F major ('American'), B. 179 (Op. 96): Allegro ma non troppo

2. String Quartet No. 12 in F major ('American'), B. 179 (Op. 96): Lento

3. String Quartet No. 12 in F major ('American'), B. 179 (Op. 96): Molto vivace

4. String Quartet No. 12 in F major ('American'), B. 179 (Op. 96): Finale, Vivace ma non troppo

5. Piano Quintet in A major, B. 155 (Op. 81) (once listed as Op. 77): Allegro ma non tanto

6. Piano Quintet in A major, B. 155 (Op. 81) (once listed as Op. 77): Dumka, Andante con moto

7. Piano Quintet in A major, B. 155 (Op. 81) (once listed as Op. 77): Un pochettino piu mosso

8. Piano Quintet in A major, B. 155 (Op. 81) (once listed as Op. 77): Scherzo (Furiant), Molto vivace

9. Piano Quintet in A major, B. 155 (Op. 81) (once listed as Op. 77): Finale, Allegro

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com essential recording

It's only logical that America's greatest string quartet should play Dvorák's "American" Quartet extremely well. Of course, there's nothing "American" about Dvorák's music except for the fact that it was composed in the space of a few days in Iowa, where the composer was vacationing for the summer. Along with the late Piano Quintet, in which the quartet is joined by the superlative pianist Rudolf Firkusny, this disc makes a irresistible budget-priced package. --David Hurwitz

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars ravishing, May 16, 2000

By 

"pspa" (Boston, MA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Dvorák: String Quartet No.12/Piano Quintet (Audio CD)

One of the great works of chamber music played immaculately. Great sound given the age of the recording, and everything else about it -- the ensemble, the tempo, the dynamics -- is just right. With a piece as popular as this there is often the temptation for musicians to try to put their individual touch on it, but this recording has no self-indulgences.

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Quartet No. 12 has hidden "American" sound, November 2, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Dvorák: String Quartet No.12/Piano Quintet (Audio CD)

The American Quartet has an "Old West" type of sound that I didn't hear until I listened to the piece three times. The more I listen to it, the more I really, really like it! The piano quintet on this disk is also very enjoyable. Worth buying, considering the price!

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Clean, efficient readings that could be more eloquent, August 23, 2006

By 

Santa Fe Listener (Santa Fe, NM USA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Dvorák: String Quartet No.12/Piano Quintet (Audio CD)

As a bargain coupling of Dvorak's two most famous chamber works, this CD can't be faulted. The Juilliard Qt. plays with alertness and vivacious rhythms in the 'American' Quartet, and the same forthright style flows over into the Piano Quintet with Rudolf Firkusny, a Czech pianist famed in his day as a Dvorak specialist. Even so, I don't find his playing as eloquent as Richter's in his classic performance on EMI, nor is the quartet as moving and satisfying as with the Alban Berg Qt., also on EMI.

Certainly these are enjoyable readings. I just don't find them anywhere near the best to be had on CD, and Sony's rather edgy digital sound, coupled with the Juilliard's somewhat stark sonority, isn't a great asset.