Antonín Dvořák - String Quintet No. 3; String Sextet (Raphael Ensemble)

Information

Composer: Antonín Dvořák

• String Quintet in E flat major, Op. 97
• String Sextet in A major, Op. 48

Raphael Ensemble

    Jamess Clark, violin

    Elizabeth Wexler, violin

    Sally Beamish, viola

    Roger Tapping, viola

    Andrea Hess, cello

    Rhydian Shaxson, cello (Op. 48)

Date: 1988

Label: Hyperion

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Antonín Dvořák (September 8, 1841 – May 1, 1904) was a Czech composer. He was the second Czech composer to achieve worldwide recognition, after Bedřich Smetana. Following Smetana's nationalist example, many of Dvořák's works show the influence of Czech folk music, such as his  two sets of Slavonic Dances, the Symphonic Variations, and the overwhelming majority of his songs. Dvořák wrote in a variety of forms: nine symphonies, ten operas, three concertos, several symphonic poems, serenades for string orchestra and wind ensemble, more than 40 works of chamber music, and piano music.

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Formed in 1982, the Raphael Ensemble specializes in quintet and sextet repertoire. Their debut recording of Brahms' Sextets received critical acclaim, and was selected for BBC Radio 3's Critics' Choice of 1989. They have since recorded works by Dvořák, Korngold, Schoenberg, Martinů, Schulhoff, Tchaikovsky, Bruckner, and Schubert. Known for championing neglected masterpieces, they have performed on BBC broadcasts and at prestigious venues such as Wigmore Hall and London's South Bank Centre. Their international appearances include major festivals in Europe and a successful tour across North America.

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