Dvorak: Piano Trios Nos. 3 & 4

Antonín Dvorák is undoubtedly the composer who, along with Bedrich Smetana (1824– 1884), brought Czech music to global prominence. It is worth noting that a quarter of Dvorák’s oeuvre consists of chamber music, an astonishing amount for a composer who was active in the second half of the 19th century. Dvorák’s four piano trios are, alongside his far more numerous string quartets, among the most significant chamber works he wrote. After the first two trios of 1875/76, which give an early indication of the composer’s creative intensity, the trios presented here, namely op. 65 (1883) and op. 90 (1890/91), show him to be a fully accomplished master of this genre. The underlying sentiment of the four-movement Trio op. 65 in F minor might be described as somber, passionate and dramatic. This character is already evident in the opening idea, played by the strings in unison, a theme that then undergoes complex development and builds up to a first dramatic climax. The Mori Trio presents these works with vigor and aplomb.