COMPOSERS: Beethoven/Smetana/Dvorak
LABELS: Supraphon
WORKS: String Quartet in F minor, Op. 95; String Quartet No. 2 in D minor; Waltzes, Op. 54/1 & 4
PERFORMER: Skampa Quartet
CATALOGUE NO: SU 0162-2 DDD
The Skampa Quartet is perhaps the finest of the new generation of Czech string quartets. Heir to an enviable tradition these players already have a large following. Their admirers outside the Czech Republic will not be disappointed by this new CD. Their performance of Beethoven’s intense Op. 95 is full of commitment and insight, and the drama and intelligence they bring to Smetana’s weirdly futuristic Second String Quartet must make it one of the most rewarding available. Jan Smaczny
Beethoven/Smetana/Dvorak
The Skampa Quartet is perhaps the finest of the new generation of Czech string quartets. Heir to an enviable tradition these players already have a large following. Their admirers outside the Czech Republic will not be disappointed by this new CD. Their performance of Beethoven’s intense Op. 95 is full of commitment and insight, and the drama and intelligence they bring to Smetana’s weirdly futuristic Second String Quartet must make it one of the most rewarding available. Jan Smaczny
Published: January 20, 2012 at 2:40 pm