Search - Smetana, Panocha Quartet :: String Quartet 1 in E

Smetana's First String Quartet has the subtitle From My Life, and has achieved a wide measure of popularity owing to its tragic finale, in which the composer's happy prospects for the future are interrupted by the high, whistling sound in his ears that preceded his sudden deafness. In fact, some of his greatest works, including the epic cycle of symphonic poems Ma Vlast (My Homeland), were composed after he became deaf, and the Second Quartet belongs in this category. It's a tough, classically balanced piece that's every bit as good as the First Quartet, so having both works together in such fine performances by native musicians is a very good deal indeed. --David Hurwitz