On Česko we go on a musical journey across Europe to the extraordinary land of Bohemia, the homeland of two composers we have come to love so much. It doesn't seem to matter that we hardly know their country: the indescribable energy of the music, with its folk melodies and harmonies, revealing the essence of a nation steeped in a deep cultural history, takes us there instantly. These composers are the much celebrated and revered Antonín Dvořák, along with the younger and lesser-known Ervín Schulhoff, whose life and career was tragically cut short by the Nazi regime. Both were masters in harnessing the old to the new, fusing a rich musical heritage with the influence of new worlds. Their works take us through the full range of emotions, from the tranquil to the fiery, from the elated to the melancholic. A reflection of human life.

Erwin Schulhoff (1894 – 1942) : String Quartet no.1 (1924)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rkg9tyBlIyo
I. Presto con fuoco 2:18
II. Allegretto con moto e con malinconia grotesca 3:27
III. Allegro giocoso alla slovaca 2:55
IV. Andante molto sostenuto 6:35

Erwin Schulhoff (1894 – 1942) : Esquisses de Jazz (1927; originally for piano, arranged for string quartet by Leonard Evers)
I. Rag 2:05
II. Boston 2:48
III. Tango 1:50
IV. Blues 1:49
V. Charleston 1:51
VI. Black Bottom 1:24

Antonín Dvořák (1841-1904) : String Quartet no.13 in G-major, opus 106 (1895)
I. Allegro moderato 9:13
II. Adagio ma non troppo 10:33
III. Molto vivace 6:08
IV. Finale: Andante sostenuto - Allegro con fuoco 10:41