Ernő Dohnányi Piano Quintets Nos. 1 & 2, Cello Sonata Kocian Quartet, Michal Kanka, Jaromir Klepac

• Erno Dohnányi (1877 – 1960): Piano Quintet No. 1 in C Minor, Op. 1:
• 1 Dohnányi: Piano Quintet No. 1 in C Minor, Op. 1: I. Allegro 08:30
• 2 Dohnányi: Piano Quintet No. 1 in C Minor, Op. 1: II. Scherzo. Allegro vivace - Trio - Reprise 04:01
• 3 Dohnányi: Piano Quintet No. 1 in C Minor, Op. 1: III. Adagio, quasi andante 07:31
• 4 Dohnányi: Piano Quintet No. 1 in C Minor, Op. 1: IV. Finale. Allegro animato - Allegro 08:18
• Cello Sonata in B-Flat Minor, Op. 8:
• 5 Dohnányi: Cello Sonata in B-Flat Minor, Op. 8: I. Allegro, ma non troppo 08:34
• 6 Dohnányi: Cello Sonata in B-Flat Minor, Op. 8: II. Scherzo. Vivace assai 05:16
• 7 Dohnányi: Cello Sonata in B-Flat Minor, Op. 8: III. Adagio non troppo - attaca subito 03:05
• 8 Dohnányi: Cello Sonata in B-Flat Minor, Op. 8: IV. Tema con variazioni. Allegro moderato - Adagio non troppo - Tempo I - Più allegro 10:04
• Piano Quintet No. 2 in E-Flat Minor, Op. 26:
• 9 Dohnányi: Piano Quintet No. 2 in E-Flat Minor, Op. 26: I. Allegro non troppo 08:56
• 10 Dohnányi: Piano Quintet No. 2 in E-Flat Minor, Op. 26: II. Intermezzo. Allegretto 05:18
• 11 Dohnányi: Piano Quintet No. 2 in E-Flat Minor, Op. 26: III. Moderato - Tempo del primo pezzo 10:22
• Total Runtime 01:19:55

Info for Ernő Dohnányi Piano Quintets Nos. 1 & 2, Cello Sonata

Second volume devoted to the chamber music of the Hungarian pianist-composer-conductor, illustrating the late blossoming of a neo-Germanic Romanticism combined with Magyar nationalism in the style of Brahms. Concertante music in the heritage of Liszt, creating a dialogue between the keyboard compere, with strings treated like an ensemble of soloists. A new tribute paid to a master who made the Hungarian musical scene and his younger colleagues Bartók, Kodály and Weiner internationally famous between the wars.

"The Second Quintet, showing Reger’s influence, is again well handled by Klepác and the Kocians – string intonation might have been slightly improved, I suppose, but probably at the expense of the intensity we get here. With no real slow movement, it is all the more vital that the most is made of every contrast in tempo and dynamic. The sound is better than in the C minor Quintet." (Tully Potter, TheStrad)

Kocian Quartet (Opp.1, 26)
Michal Kanka, cello (Op.8)
Jaromir Klepac, piano (Op.8)

The Kocian Quartet
is a Czech classical chamber ensemble. Originally named the New String Quartet, it was founded in 1972 by three members of the Prague Symphony Orchestra and Pravoslav Kohout.

Zemlinsky Quartet
Founded in 1994 while the members were still students, the ZEMLINSKY QUARTET has become a much lauded example of the Czech string quartet tradition. The Zemlinsky Quartet won the First Grand Prize at the Bordeaux International String Quartet Competition in 2010. They have also been awarded top prizes at the Banff International String Quartet Competition (2007), Prague Spring International Music Competition (2005) and London International String Quartet Competition (2006), where they also received the Audience Prize. The Quartet was recipient of the Alexander Zemlinsky Advancement Award in 2008. Other notable prizes include Beethoven International Competition (1999), New Talent Bratislava (2003), Martinů Foundation String Quartet Competition (2004), and the Prize of Czech Chamber Music Society (2005). In the season 2016/17, Zemlinsky Quartet was appointed as the residential ensemble of the Czech Chamber Music Society.

While students at the Prague Conservatory and the Academy of Performing Arts Prague, the ensemble was coached by members of renowned Czech string quartets including the Talich, Prague, Kocian and Pražák Quartets. The ensemble also took part in several master classes including ProQuartet, in France and Sommerakademie in Reichenau, Austria where they were awarded First Prize for the best interpretation of a work by Janáček. From 2005 to 2008, the quartet studied with Walter Levin, the first violinist of LaSalle Quartet. Their recent mentor has been Josef Klusoň, the violist of the Pražák Quartet.

Zemlinsky Quartet is named after the Austrian composer, conductor and teacher Alexander Zemlinsky (1871-1942), whose enormous contribution to Czech, German and Jewish culture during his 16-year residence in Prague had been underrated until recently. His four string quartets (the second one being dedicated to his student and brother-in-law Arnold Schönberg) belong to the basic repertoire of the ensemble. Since 2005, the quartet has maintained a special relationship with the Alexander Zemlinsky Foundation in Vienna.

The Zemlinsky Quartet performs regularly in the Czech Republic and abroad (Germany, Switzerland, Austria, France, Monaco, Luxembourg, Spain, Italy, Belgium, Great Britain, Ireland, Hungary, Slovakia, Bulgaria, Canada, USA, Brazil, Japan, South Korea). Recent major appearances of the Zemlinsky Quartet include London’s Wigmore Hall, Cité de la Musique in Paris, Library of Congress, Place des Arts in Montreal, Prague Spring Festival, and their New York debut on Schneider/New School Concerts Series.

Their vast repertoire contains more than 200 works ranging from Mozart, Beethoven, Brahms, and Dvorak to works by contemporary composers. The members of the ensemble also perform as soloists and are individual prize-winners of several competitions (Concertino Praga, Spohr International Competition Weimar, Tribune of Young Artists UNESCO, Rotary Music Competition Nürnberg,Beethoven International Competition, Kocian International Competition).

Between 2006-2011, the Zemlinsky Quartet were Assistant Quartet-in-Residence at Musikakademie Basel in Switzerland. Music education is an important part of their professional life and during their tours, the quartet is often invited to give master classes to students of any age. They also perform educational concerts for students. Recently, František Souček and Petr Holman have been appointed Professors at the Prague Conservatory.

Booklet for Ernő Dohnányi Piano Quintets Nos. 1 & 2, Cello Sonata