The Repertoire

Antonín Dvořák's (1841-1904) Piano Quintet No. 2 in A Major, Op. 81, is a masterpiece of late romantic chamber music composed in 1887, scored for piano and string quartet. It is highly regarded for its melodic richness. 

The quintet is a mixture of Dvořák's personal form of expressive lyricism with elements from Czech folk music. Characteristically, those elements include styles and forms of song and dance, but not actual folk tunes; Dvořák created original melodies in the authentic folk style.

• I. Allegro, ma non tanto: This movement opens with a noble theme in the cello and the piano provides arpeggiated chords before the ensemble shifts to a new theme in F-sharp minor and then to C major.

• II. Dumka: Andante con moto: The second movement is based on the Ukrainian and Slavic folk form known as the dumka, which alternates between slow and fast sections. It opens with a delicate, wistful piano theme in F-sharp minor.

• III. Scherzo (Furiant): Molto vivace: This movement is a spirited Furiant, a Bohemian folk dance characterized by strong rhythms. The trio section introduces interesting rhythmic interplay with passages in both three-against-four and two-against-three groupings.

• IV. Finale: Allegro: The finale is a lively rondo that opens with a burst of energy from the strings, accompanied by syncopated piano rhythms.