Dvorák: Two String Quartets, Opus 34 & Opus 51

The CD showcases two compositions by Antonín Dvorþák, a major nineteenth-century Czech composer best known for both his large-scale symphonic works and his intimate chamber music, especially his contributions to the repertoire for string quartet. The Opus 34 quartet was written as a tribute to the principal agent of his success, Johannes Brahms. Dvorþák wrote the Opus 51 in response to a commission for a string quartet of pronounced Slavic character, and it reflects the expectations of the larger audience he sought to accommodate. The music is performed by the Pro Arte String Quartet.. Distributed for the University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Music