Fascinated by the folklore of his native Bohemia, and gifted with inexhaustible melodic inventiveness, Antonin Dvorak went through several creative periods as he gradually broke out of the Classical mold; the last of these was deeply influenced by the years he spent in the United States. His kindness and optimism set him apart from the other great Romantics, darker and more tormented in character, and contributed to the unique charm and accessible character of his music, which have earned him justified popularity.

The Talich Quartet, complemented here by Jiri Najnar and Vaclav Bernasek, illuminate these chamber music gems in brilliant colors. The string sextet version of Schoenberg's Verkleñrte Nacht (Transfigured Night), which is still bound to the late Romanticism, is a true enrichment to the repertoire.

The Talich have set down the Quartets on three occasions: for Supraphon in 1990, and for Calliope in 1985 (with Kvapil's excellent account of Book I of On an Overgrown Path as coupling) and 2004 (with the Schulhoff). It is the latter which has been reissued here.

Compositeur et violoniste virtuose Tchèque, né en 1801 et mort en 1866, Johann Wenzel Kalliwoda joua dans l’orchestre de Ständetheater de Prague que dirigeait Carl Maria von Weber. C’est peu dire de ses compétences musicales… Il fut par la suite un chef d’orchestre recherché pour la rigueur et la musicalité de sa direction. Côté musique, il laisse une œuvre abondante dans tous les genres musicaux mais c’est surtout sa musique de chambre qui retient l’attention.