Composer: Antonin Dvorak
Performer: Panocha Quartet
Audio CD
Number of Discs: 8 CD box set
Format: FLAC (image+cue)
Label: Supraphon
Size: 2.26 GB
Recovery: +3%
Scan: yes
Disc: 1
01. String Quartet No. 1 in A major, B. 8 (Op. 2): I. Andante, Allegro
02. String Quartet No. 1 in A major, B. 8 (Op. 2): II. Adagio affettuoso ed appassionato
03. String Quartet No. 1 in A major, B. 8 (Op. 2): III. Allegro scherzando
04. String Quartet No. 1 in A major, B. 8 (Op. 2): IV. Allegro animato
05. String Quartet No. 2 in B flat major, B. 17: I. Allegro, ma non troppo
06. String Quartet No. 2 in B flat major, B. 17: II. Largo
07. String Quartet No. 2 in B flat major, B. 17: III. Allegro con brio
08. String Quartet No. 2 in B flat major, B. 17: IV. Finale. Andante – Allegro giusto – Allegro con fuoco
Disc: 2
01. String Quartet No. 3 in D major, B. 18: I. Allegro con brio
02. String Quartet No. 3 in D major, B. 18: II. Andantino
03. String Quartet No. 3 in D major, B. 18: III. Allegro energico. Trio
04. String Quartet No. 3 in D major, B. 18: IV. Finale. Allegretto
05. Andante Appasionato, for string quartet in F major, B. 40a
Disc: 3
01. String Quartet No. 4 in E minor, B. 19 (once listed as Op. 9): I. Assai con moto ed energico
02. String Quartet No. 4 in E minor, B. 19 (once listed as Op. 9): II. Andante religioso
03. String Quartet No. 4 in E minor, B. 19 (once listed as Op. 9): III. Allegro con brio
04. String Quartet No. 5 in F minor, B. 37 (Op.9): I. Moderato
05. String Quartet No. 5 in F minor, B. 37 (Op.9): II. Andante con moto quasi allegretto
06. String Quartet No. 5 in F minor, B. 37 (Op.9): III. Tempo di Valse
07. String Quartet No. 5 in F minor, B. 37 (Op.9): IV. Finale. Allegro molto
Disc: 4
01. String Quartet No. 6 in A minor, B. 40 (Op.12): I. Allegro ma non troppo
02. String Quartet No. 6 in A minor, B. 40 (Op.12): II. Poco Allegro
03. String Quartet No. 6 in A minor, B. 40 (Op.12): III. Poco adagio
04. String Quartet No. 6 in A minor, B. 40 (Op.12): IV. Finale. Allegro molto
05. String Quartet No. 7 in A minor, B. 45 (Op.16): I. Allegro
06. String Quartet No. 7 in A minor, B. 45 (Op.16): II. Andante cantabile
07. String Quartet No. 7 in A minor, B. 45 (Op.16): III. Allegro scherzando
08. String Quartet No. 7 in A minor, B. 45 (Op.16): IV. Allegro ma non troppo
Disc: 5
01. String Quartet No. 8 in E major, B. 57 (Op.80): I. Allegro
02. String Quartet No. 8 in E major, B. 57 (Op.80): II. Andante con moto
03. String Quartet No. 8 in E major, B. 57 (Op.80): III. Allegro scherzando
04. String Quartet No. 8 in E major, B. 57 (Op.80): IV. Poco allegro
05. String Quartet No. 9 in D minor, B. 75 (Op.34) (once listed as Op. 43): I. Allegro
06. String Quartet No. 9 in D minor, B. 75 (Op.34) (once listed as Op. 43): II. Alla polka. Allegretto scherzando. Trio
07. String Quartet No. 9 in D minor, B. 75 (Op.34) (once listed as Op. 43): III. Adagio
08. String Quartet No. 9 in D minor, B. 75 (Op.34) (once listed as Op. 43): IV. Poco allegro
Disc: 6
01. String Quartet No. 10 in E flat major, B. 92 (Op. 51): I. Allegro, ma non troppo
02. String Quartet No. 10 in E flat major, B. 92 (Op. 51): II. Dumka (Elegia). Andante con moto. Vivace
03. String Quartet No. 10 in E flat major, B. 92 (Op. 51): III. Romanza. Andante con moto
04. String Quartet No. 10 in E flat major, B. 92 (Op. 51): IV. Finale. Allegro assai
05. String Quartet No. 11 in C major, B. 121 (Op.61): I. Allegro
06. String Quartet No. 11 in C major, B. 121 (Op.61): II. Poco adagio e molto cantabile
07. String Quartet No. 11 in C major, B. 121 (Op.61): III. Scherzo. Allegro vivo. Trio
08. String Quartet No. 11 in C major, B. 121 (Op.61): IV. Finale. Vivace
09. String Quartet Movement in F major, B. 120
Disc: 7
01. Cypresses (Ohlas písní [Echoes of Songs]), for string quartet (arr. from Cypresses, B. 11), B. 152: VI. Ó, zlatá ruze spanilá
02. Cypresses (Ohlas písní [Echoes of Songs]), for string quartet (arr. from Cypresses, B. 11), B. 152: VII. Kol domu se ted’ potácim
03. Cypresses (Ohlas písní [Echoes of Songs]), for string quartet (arr. from Cypresses, B. 11), B. 152: VIII. Zde v lese u potoka
04. Cypresses (Ohlas písní [Echoes of Songs]), for string quartet (arr. from Cypresses, B. 11), B. 152: IX. Ó, duse drahá, jedinká
05. String Quartet No. 12 in F major (‘American’), B. 179 (Op. 96): I. Allegro ma non troppo
06. String Quartet No. 12 in F major (‘American’), B. 179 (Op. 96): II. Lento
07. String Quartet No. 12 in F major (‘American’), B. 179 (Op. 96): III. Molto vivace
08. String Quartet No. 12 in F major (‘American’), B. 179 (Op. 96): IV. Finale. Vivace ma non troppo
Disc: 8
01. String Quartet No. 13 in G major, B. 192 (Op. 106): I. Allegro moderato
02. String Quartet No. 13 in G major, B. 192 (Op. 106): II. Adagio ma non troppo
03. String Quartet No. 13 in G major, B. 192 (Op. 106): III. Molto vivace
04. String Quartet No. 13 in G major, B. 192 (Op. 106): IV. Finale. Andante sostenuto – Allegro con fuoco
05. String Quartet No. 14 in A flat major, B. 193 (Op. 105): I. Adagio ma non troppo – Allegro appassionato
06. String Quartet No. 14 in A flat major, B. 193 (Op. 105): II. Molto vivace
07. String Quartet No. 14 in A flat major, B. 193 (Op. 105): III. Lento e molto cantabile
08. String Quartet No. 14 in A flat major, B. 193 (Op. 105): IV. Allegro non tanto
panocha_quartet_dvorak_string_quartets02.rar – 290.7 MB
panocha_quartet_dvorak_string_quartets03.rar – 256.0 MB
panocha_quartet_dvorak_string_quartets04.rar – 243.1 MB
panocha_quartet_dvorak_string_quartets05.rar – 269.1 MB
panocha_quartet_dvorak_string_quartets06.rar – 347.9 MB
panocha_quartet_dvorak_string_quartets07.rar – 285.0 MB
panocha_quartet_dvorak_string_quartets08.rar – 319.5 MB
The Panocha Quartet, which was formed in 1968, began recording the Dvorak quartets in 1983 and finished up in 1999 – fourteen quartets plus the “Cypresses” were laid down over sixteen years. The musicians, who have played together since their student days at the Prague Conservatory, demonstrate a complete understanding of and identification with the Dvorakian idiom. There is a maturity and joy to their playing that is truly a pleasure to hear.
Anybody who loves Dvorak will appreciate this music – even the early quartets have some glorious writing. Just listen to the last movement of the first quartet (op. 2) which has all the hallmarks of great Dvorak. Of course the early works are not as inspired as the later ones, but because this complete cycle presents the quartets in chronological order, a feature that I particularly like, you can follow Dvorak as his work matured.
There are other complete cycles of the Dvorak quartets available, most notably the Prague Quartet set on DG, however, I am most familiar with the Vlach Quartet’s effort on Naxos. I had several of their discs, but replaced them with this set when I decided I wanted all of the quartets. I went with the Panocha Quartet after a good deal of research, including culling through reviews that appeared when the individual discs were originally released. The critical consensus was extremely positive: Classics Today called this “the finest recorded set in one box.”
Warmly recommended to all chamber music (and Dvorak) lovers.