Antonín Dvořák: String Quartet, Op. 96, String Quintet, Op. 97 & Humoresques, Op. 101 Mandelring Quartett

• Antonín Dvořák (1841 - 1904): String Quartet No. 12 in F Major, Op. 96 "American":
• 1 Dvořák: String Quartet No. 12 in F Major, Op. 96 "American": I. Allegro ma non Troppo 09:31
• 2 Dvořák: String Quartet No. 12 in F Major, Op. 96 "American": II. Lento 06:09
• 3 Dvořák: String Quartet No. 12 in F Major, Op. 96 "American": III. Molto Vivace 03:53
• 4 Dvořák: String Quartet No. 12 in F Major, Op. 96 "American": IV. Finale. Vivace ma non Troppo 05:29
• String Quintet No. 3 in E-Flat Major, Op. 97:
• 5 Dvořák: String Quintet No. 3 in E-Flat Major, Op. 97: I. Allegro non Tanto 07:03
• 6 Dvořák: String Quintet No. 3 in E-Flat Major, Op. 97: II. Allegro Vivo 05:42
• 7 Dvořák: String Quintet No. 3 in E-Flat Major, Op. 97: III. Larghetto 09:47
• 8 Dvořák: String Quintet No. 3 in E-Flat Major, Op. 97: IV. Finale. Allegro Giusto 08:20
• 8 Humoresques, Op. 101:
• 9 Dvořák: 8 Humoresques, Op. 101: No. 1 in E-Flat Minor. Vivace (Arr. for String Quartet by Matthias Eichhorn) 02:15
• 10 Dvořák: 8 Humoresques, Op. 101: No. 2 in B Major. Poco andante (Arr. for String Quartet by Matthias Eichhorn) 02:28
• 11 Dvořák: 8 Humoresques, Op. 101: No. 3 in A-Flat Major. Poco andante e molto cantabile (Arr. for String Quartet by Matthias Eichhorn) 04:05
• 12 Dvořák: 8 Humoresques, Op. 101: No. 4 in F Major. Poco andante (Arr. for String Quartet by Matthias Eichhorn) 02:42
• 13 Dvořák: 8 Humoresques, Op. 101: No. 5 in A Minor. Vivace (Arr. for String Quartet by Matthias Eichhorn) 03:04
• 14 Dvořák: 8 Humoresques, Op. 101: No. 6 in B Major. Poco allegretto (Arr. for String Quartet by Matthias Eichhorn) 03:13
• 15 Dvořák: 8 Humoresques, Op. 101: No. 7 in G-Flat Major. Poco lento e grazioso (Arr. for String Quartet by Matthias Eichhorn) 02:51
• 16 Dvořák: 8 Humoresques, Op. 101: No. 8 in B-Flat Minor. Poco andante (Arr. for String Quartet by Matthias Eichhorn) 03:16
• Total Runtime 01:19:48

Info for Antonín Dvořák: String Quartet, Op. 96, String Quintet, Op. 97 & Humoresques, Op. 101

Antonín Dvořák's 'American' chamber music works are the fruits of a happy, carefree time. And this is reflected in the music: colourful, vibrant, imbued with the musical and scenic impressions he gathered in the bustling metropolis of New York and during his summer holidays in rural Iowa.

Antonín Dvořák spent a happy time in America in the early 1890s. As director of the National Conservatory of Music in New York, he was generously paid, and concert audiences adored him.

Some of his most famous and beloved works were created in the United States, including the 'American' String Quartet, which uniquely combines landscape painting and emotional expression in chamber music. Unjustly overshadowed by this piece is the String Quintet in E flat major, also known as the 'American' Quintet: a colourful, masterfully crafted work in which Dvořák sought to capture the spirit of Native American music.

Both works have been among the Mandelring Quartett's favourites for many years. However, the Humoresques, Op. 101 were a new discovery for the ensemble. Presented here in a first recording of an arrangement for string quartet, they include the immortal melody that the Comedian Harmonists made into a hit, titled "Eine kleine Frühlingsweise".

Roland Glassl, violin
Mandelring Quartet

Mandelring Quartett
The Mandelring Quartet’s remarkable homogeneity of sound, intonation and phrasing has become its distinguishing characteristic; four individuals who play as one in their shared determination to always seek out the innermost core of the music and remain open to the musical truth. By grasping the spiritual dimension, exploring the emotional extremes and working on the details, these musicians probe far beneath the surface of each work, thus revealing the multiplicity of meanings inherent in each. Their approach to the music is always both emotional and personal. All this combines to make the Mandelring Quartet one of the most high-profile ensembles on the international chamber music scene.

As winners of several major international competitions – Munich (ARD), Evian and Reggio Emilia (Premio Paolo Borciani) – the Mandelring Quartet has emerged as one of the important string quartets of today, appearing at the world's great concert venues. In addition to numerous performances in Germany, the Mandelring Quartet's concert tours have taken them throughout Europe – Amsterdam, Brus­sels, London, Madrid, Paris and Vienna – annually to North America – New York, Washington D.C., Chicago, Los Angeles, Vancouver – to Japan – Osaka and Tokyo – Central and South America – Buenos Aires, Lima, Montevideo – the Middle East and Asia.

The Mandelring Quartet has enjoyed highly successful appearances at the Rheingau Festival, the Schleswig-Holstein Music Festival and other important international festivals such as Lockenhaus, Montpellier, Montreal, Ottawa, the Engadiner Konzertwochen in Switzerland and the Salzburg Festival, where they have been invited to present complete cycle of Shostakovich string quartets in summer 2011.

The Quartet's CD recordings have received numerous awards. Numbering more than two dozen, they include a Schubert string quartet cycle, piano quintets by Brahms and Franck and a series "Brahms and his Contemporaries", selected by the Strad Magazine as CD Of The Month saying: “Here the Mandelring combine the LaSalle Quartet’s intellectual vigor with the Amadeus’ unbridled passion to provide the best of both worlds.” Their recordings of the string quartets of Shostakovich have been hailed by the press as one of the outstanding complete recordings of our time. “The direct comparison I've done puts the Mandelring Quartet's cycle up with the best. If I were to shed all but two cycles, I would keep the Borodin cycle and the Mandelring Quartet.” (Fanfare). The CD with Schumann’s Piano Quartet and Piano Quintet has been praised as the new reference recording, and their recent disc of String Quartets by Leoš Janác(ek has received the German Record Critics' Prize.

The HAMBACHERMusikFEST, the quartet’s own festival, provides a meeting place each year for lovers of chamber music from all over the world. Since 2010 the Mandelring Quartet has presented a regular series of concerts at the Kammermusicsaal of the Berlin Philharmonic.

Booklet for Antonín Dvořák: String Quartet, Op. 96, String Quintet, Op. 97 & Humoresques, Op. 101