Dvorak: Old World - New World (emerson String Quar

Emerson String Quartet with Paul Neubauer: viola

Dvorak: String Quartet No. 10 in E flat major, Op. 51 (B92) / String Quartet No. 11 in C major, Op. 61 (B121) / String Quintet No. 3 in E flat major, Op. 97 'American' with Paul Neubauer (viola) / Cypresses for string quartet, B152 / String Quartet No. 13 in G major, Op. 106 (B192) / String Quartet No. 14 in A flat major, Op. 105 (B193)

Gramophone Editor's Choice - August 2010
The Emerson String Quartet's first ever recordings of the four late string quartets, the 'American' Quintet, and the Cypresses.
This recording contains, quite simply, some of the most beautiful chamber music ever composed. Dvorak was a master of the genre, and the Emerson Quartet demonstrates this to perfection. This 3-CD set includes four of the final string quartets, No.10, 11, 13, and 14. One would wonder why they did not include No.12, the 'American' quartet, which is arguably Dvorak's most famous chamber work, let alone his most popular string quartet, but perhaps it is for that very reason. The Emerson Quartet made this a disc of Dvorak works they had never recorded before, and such is the case with the repertoire. While omitting the 'American' Quartet, they do include the 'American' Quintet, scored for two violas, which is a sublime piece in its own right, and often overlooked by chamber groups due to this scoring. I feel that the extra viola gives the quintet a real richness in sound. The highlight for me was the inclusion of the full cycle of 'The Cypresses'. This cycle of quartets, originally written as vocal love songs, is performed here by the Emerson Quartet using a copy the orginal vocal edition (that they borrowed from Graham Johnson no less). This cycle of short quartets is rarely played except one or two as the occasional recital encore, so the inclusion of the complete cycle is something special. A wonderful CD set!