Dvorak / Scharoun Ensemble Berlin - Bagatelles Op. 47 - Terzetto Op. 74 - String [CD]

These works are among Antonín Dvorak's most valued creations. His youthful String Quintet Op. 77 is a "symphony for strings" with a modern feel; scoring it with a double bass produced a novel, visionary and highly romantic soundscape. The two other works, both written as domestic music for his Prague friends, could hardly be more different. The inclusion of a harmonium lends the Bagatelles Op. 47 a quite unique magic. Dvorak wrote of the Terzetto Op. 74: "I'm now writing little Bagatelles... The work is as enjoyable as writing a great symphony." Despite their rather modest technical demands, these are singular masterpieces, with a sonority unmatched in music history. The virtuosic interpretation by the Scharoun Ensemble Berlin emphasizes the works' merit, giving us chamber music with a symphonic breadth: it is quite obvious that the performers are members of the Berliner Philharmoniker.