Dvorak + African

The Hungarian-British Takács Quartet is neither Czech nor American nor German, but it conveys the three national strands of these wonderful late Dvorák works as few others have ever done. Buyers interested in these pieces have a selection of top-notch recordings from which to choose, but they are urgently directed to this one.

'Roots’ is an exploration of the music written by Black composers and inspired by Black culture. A homage to the pioneering musicians who paved the way for Randall and his generation. Looking to the future with a specially commissioned piece by young Black composer Xavier Dubois Foley. World premiere recordings of music by Florence Price that was rescued from an abandoned house over half a century after her death. The Perlman protégé celebrates his own journey and shows young people that music can inspire regardless of background.

Acclaimed violinist and prolific recording artist Philippe Graffin scored a major coup when he unearthed the Violin Concerto of Samuel Coleridge-Taylor, the Afro-English composer whose star has waned since the height of his fame at the turn of the last century, but has rapidly risen again on the strength of this world-premiere recording.

There are enough new performances of American music by British and continental European groups to constitute a vogue, and this superb release by Britain's Brodsky Quartet makes a fine place to start with the trend in several respects. First there's a reading of the Dvorák String Quartet No. 12, Op. 96 ("American"), that could stand on its own as a reason for purchase. The Brodsky runs counter to type with this performance, which offers a relaxed, singing version of the music that accords well with the great performances of the Cello Concerto in B minor. Many quartets push the music and thus bring out its rhythmic structure, but that doesn't suffer in this version emphasizing the African-American-influenced melodic content that the composer himself pointed to in the work.

Ragazze Quartet perform works by two female composers Rhiannon Giddens (*1977) and Florence Price (1887-1953), combined with the ‘American’ String Quartet No.12 by Antonín Dvořák (1841-1904). Florence Price was the first African-American woman to be recognized for her symphonies, yet her music was forgotten for many years. Her String Quartet No.2 is a mix of European romanticism, her ‘Southern’ roots, the emerging blues and African-American spirituals. The title of the album derives from a song Rhiannon Giddens wrote after seeing a 19th-century advertisement for a 22-year-old female slave whose 9-month-old baby was also for sale, but 'at the purchaser’s option'.

The Czech Republic's Skampa Quartet is a veteran group that has previously recorded the Dvorák String Quartet No. 12 in F major, Op. 96 ("American"), as well as other major Czech and Western works. But in this version for England's Champs Hill label, everything comes together for an exceptional chamber music performance. For one thing, the work is paired not with another quartet but with the String Quintet No. 3 in E flat major, Op. 97 (played here with Belcea Quartet violist Krzysztof Chorzelski), another work written during the composer's American sojourn.