Antonín Dvorák's final piece of chamber music, the String Quartet No. 14 in A flat major, Op. 105, was begun before Dvorák had yet even thought of composing the String Quartet No. 13 in G major, Op. 106, but it was put aside for many months and not finished until just after Christmas, 1895; by that time Dvorák had already put the final touches on the G major work, which explains the order of their opus numbers.

It is not hard to understand why Dvorák abandoned the String Quartet No. 14 for a time: the first sketches of the piece date from his final, homesick weeks in the United States, and to expect him to immediately resume work on the piece upon his return to Prague, giving himself no time to regain his bearings, would be expecting too much. These two final quartets are a dual crown upon the head of a glorious string quartet output that spans better than 30 years (more than half of them years of mature work); there are some who would say that none since, including the twentieth century Russians and Soviets, have managed to master the medium so well.

The somber, apparently directionless opening bars (Adagio ma non troppo) of the first movement are as stark a contrast to the joyous outbursts in the exposition of the G major quartet as one could imagine; but by the time Dvorák has wheeled his way around to the Allegro appassionato body of the movement, the cello's uncertain idea has been transformed into something sparkling and cheery in the violin. "Appassionato" is certainly an appropriate indication for this many-faced movement, which expands in all directions to dramatic realms that would normally be far beyond the bounds of a movement less than ten minutes in duration.

The constant hemiolas of the Molto vivace second movement (the scherzo movement) transport us straight into the world of the traditional Bohemian furiant dance. The F major Lento molto e cantabile is at first a simple, attractive song; when Dvorák decides to adorn his tune with melting countermelodies and chromatic adornments, it becomes something else altogether. The way that Dvorák effortlessly floats from the bizarre cello figuration and ominous tremolos that begin the Allegro non troppo finale straight into the effusive, dancing body of the movement is simply wonderful.

© All Music Guide

Portions of Content Provided by All Music Guide.
© 2008 All Media Guide, LLC. All Music Guide is a registered trademark of All Media Guide, LLC.