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sections: a slow keyboard toccata later joined by

strings, a faster triple-meter theme, and a varied

return of the toccata. Following a brief pause,

the

Fugue

begins with the muted first violin

stating a melancholy six-measure theme; second

violin, cello, viola, and piano follow at irregular

time intervals. Mutes are removed for the nu-

merous contrapuntal elaborations of the theme.

The movement builds to a poignant coda.

The

Scherzo

contrasts the seriousness of the

foregoing movement with an intentionally ba-

nal triple-meter theme filled with melodic and

bass repetitions. A mismatched pair of themes

appears in the

trio

: a gypsy-styled violin melo-

dy followed by the stratospheric dissonances of

a keyboard theme. The

scherzo

music resumes,

now greatly varied.

Shostakovich linked the final two movements.

The

Intermezzo

continues a 19th-century tradi-

tion of light, lyrical middle movements. Musical

passions increase near the end as the ensemble

is segmented into imitating duets (two violins

against viola and cello) and a “basso continuo”

keyboard part. Without interruption, the music

progresses into the

Finale

. The piano introduces

a series of motives that are expanded into sev-

eral themes. Though more casual than many of

the composer’s finales, this movement contains

many standard Shostakovich features, such as

double octaves in the piano and a militaristic

rhythmic pattern first presented by the strings.

One musical moment resulted from an error

during rehearsals, when Rudolph Barshai (vio-

list in the Quartet of the Moscow Philharmon-

ic, later Borodin Quartet) missed an entrance.

The unintentional imitation suited the over-

all neo-Baroque character of the quintet, and

Shostakovich rewrote his score to incorporate

the effect. The Piano Quintet ends quietly and

untroubled.

ANTONÍN DVOŘÁK (1841–1904)

Piano Quintet No. 2 in A major, B. 155

By 1887—the year of his Piano Quintet, B. 155—

Dvořák embodied to the world the musical

soul of the Czech people. His nationalist op-

eras

The Cunning Peasant

Dimitrij

The Jacobin

and

Rusalka

incorporated folk themes that not

only appealed to his countrymen but struck a

sympathetic chord beyond his native land, in

England especially. The instrumental Slavon-

ic Dances published by Simrock undoubtedly

were his most profitable creations. Dvořák’s

strong sense of ethnicity flared only once in his

professional dealings with Fritz Simrock over

the issue of Czech versus German titles on the

printed scores: “An artist too has a fatherland in

which he must also have a firm faith and which

he must love.”

More than nationalism lay behind Dvořák’s

gracious exterior. Czech aloofness and melan-

choly mingled with a tempered gaiety. Profound

introspection predominates over public displays

of exuberance. Dvořák was a more enigmatic

and private figure than any single designation,

“nationalism” or otherwise, could signify. This

complex nature displays itself in the Piano

Quintet in A major, B. 155, which some writers

suspect is an autobiographical portrayal. The

work emerged from the composer’s frustrated

efforts at revising an earlier quintet in the same

key, B. 28. Composition proceeded steadily be-

tween August 18 and October 3, 1887, and the

premiere took place the following January 6 in

Prague with pianist Karel Kovařovic, violinists

Karel Ondříček and Jan Pelikán, violist Petr

Mareš, and cellist Alois Neruda.

MISHA DICHTER,

piano

Misha Dichter’s biography appears on page 100.

ARGUS QUARTET

The Argus Quartet’s biography appears on page 104.

A rippling piano introduction leads to a cel-

lo melody that quickly takes on a melancholy

minor hue. The first violin rises above the ac-

companying ensemble with a high treble line.

A lyrical, minor-key theme emanates from the

viola. The occasionally turbulent development

never reaches an uncontrolled, impassioned

state. Both principal themes returns slightly

transformed. The

Dumka

adopts the soulful

atmosphere of the Slavic folk lament. The vio-

la—Dvořák’s own instrument—presents a som-

ber refrain. The first contrasting section brings a

gentle violin melody and a music-box variation

in the piano. In the middle of the movement, the

dumka

refrain is recast as a

vivace

toccata. Still,

melancholy prevails in the end.

Dvořák subtitled his third movement

Furiant

after a spirited Bohemian folk dance. While the

exhilarating breakneck tempo of the

furiant

present, there is little evidence of its character-

istic hemiola rhythm. This piece more closely

reflects the traditional three-part

scherzo

de-

sign with a tranquil

trio

. The style of the

Finale

though not its actual material, is derived from

Czech folk music. Repeated pitches and irreg-

ular phrase lengths lend interest to this rondo.

Exciting 16th-note figures lead to a triumphant

conclusion.

Antonín Dvořák

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