Josef Bohuslav Foerster: The Complete String Quartets [2cd]

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Editor's info:
Following the acclaimed recordings of the two violin concertos (SU 3961-2) and the cello concerto (SU 3989-2), Supraphon returns to the work of Josef Bohuslav Foerster, a composer somewhat neglected until recently. This double CD presents for the first time his complete string quartet oeuvre. The first quartet (1888) is dedicated to Tchaikovsky, who recognised in Foerster a talented music creator and in a letter encouraged him to persevere with composing. The form of string quartet would subsequently accompany Foerster until the very end. The fifth quartet, "The Vestec" (1959), is Foerster's final work. After a long and arduous creative journey and seeking, he returns in it to his Smetana and Dvořák roots, already evident in the first quartet. This recording is supplemented by three minor compositions (including Erinnerung for string quartet and harp) and the idiomatic two-movement string quintet with double bass. Stamic Quartet, one of the foremost ensembles representing the renowned Czech quartet school worldwide, interprets Foerster with technical mastery and an understanding of the deeper layers of his work.