Antonín Dvořák : String Quintet in G major, Piano Quintet in A major

The Skampa Quartet, renowned for its recordings primarily of Czech composers such as Janácek, Dvorák and Smetana, has chosen two pleasant quintets from Dvorák's mature period for its new album. In the Quintet in G major the temperament and vitality of the first and last movements alternate with the tender, Dvorákesque lyricism of the slow movement. The piano part of the Quintet in A major is unusually brilliant and rewarding for the pianist, and Dvorák has here succeeded in achieving the ideal symbiosis between the sound of the piano and the string instruments. The quartet members have found ideal music partners in the promising French contrabassist Laurene Durantel and the charismatic British pianist Kathryn Stott. Stott is a much sought-after chamber performer who has a number of premieres to her name (concertos by Sir Peter Maxwell Davies and Michael Nyman) and is a long-time partner of musicians such as Yo-Yo Ma and Janine Jansen.