The first great French piano quintet, the Quintet in F minor by César Franck was completed in 1879 and premiered in January 1880. Of until then unparalleled intensity and lyricism in the French chamber repertory, it would act as a renewal of the latter, opening the way to Chausson, d’Indy and Fauré, and it also renewed the style of Franck himself, inaugurating a rich period of great masterpieces. The Pražák Quartet and François Dumont celebrate the 200th anniversary of the composer’s birth with this masterpiece of expressive power.

The Pražák complete the programme with the last of Dvořák’s string quartets, composed on his return home after three years in the USA. Among the myriad subtleties of expression and colour we find the same lyrical inspiration that animates Franck’s Quintet. Both works are performed with fervour, magnificence and beauty of sound by the players.

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The PRAŽÁK Quartet, one of the most eminent modern quartets and a major heir to the Czech tradition, is celebrating its 50th anniversary in 2022! 
On this occasion, Praga Digitals is presenting a limited edition anniversary box set of 50 CDs featuring all the recordings made between 1992 and 2018 under the guidance of the late Pierre Émile Barbier, founder of the label. 
This exceptional box set traces the ensemble's journey in its "historic" formation, comprising Václav Remeš (followed by Pavel Hůla from 2010 onwards) on first violin, Vlastimil Holek on second, Josef Klusoň on viola, and Michal Kaňka on 'cello - prior to its near-complete re-configuration in 2020. 
At the heart of the programme are the complete quartets of Beethoven and the very first complete recording of the works of the Second Viennese School (Schoenberg, Berg, Webern), Czech repertoire (Dvořák, Smetana, Janáček, Martinů) and Viennese Classicism (Haydn, Mozart), as well as German Romanticism (Schubert, Brahms, Schumann, Mendelssohn), the Russians (Tchaikovsky, Prokofiev, Shostakovich), but also Strauss, Mahler, Zemlinsky, Schulhoff...  
Their partners include Vanda Tabery and Christine Whittlesey (soprano), Pascal Moraguès (clarinet), Jan Talich and Hatto Beyerle (viola), Jaroslav Tůma (harmonium), Ivan Klánský & Evgeni Koroliov (piano)...
The collaboration between the Pražák Quartet and Praga Digitals marks one of the most important epic ventures of modern recording, reminiscent of the golden age of the Amadeus, Juilliard or Alban Berg Quartets - a priceless legacy as much in terms of its scope as its artistry and sound quality, as well as its multiple awards: Diapason d'or, "Choc" (Classica), "10" (Répertoire), the Grand Prix of the Académie Charles Cros, Gramophone, The Strad... 
50 CDs for 50 years : Happy birthday and long live the PRAŽÁKS!

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“Blithe ignorance of the future cataclysm” is the subtitle originally chosen by Shostakovich for the first movement of his “war quartet”, String Quartet no. 3 (1946), which he considered one of his finest works. The subtitle sets the tone for a composition that, nourished by popular folklore, appears to stage the inexorable confrontation of opposing forces. The same tension, the same razor’s-edge atmosphere is to be found in Beethoven’s Quartet op. 18, no. 4, and in Schubert’s unfinished Quartet, no. 12, generally known as the Quartettsatz.

The musicians of the David Oistrakh Quartet embrace the latent fury of these three works, without giving in to the maelstrom: the precision of their playing feeds a raw, electric expressiveness, magnified by an exceptional ensemble sound, taking the emotional power of this programme to great heights.

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