Dvorak: String Quartet No. 9 in D minor/Terzetto Op. 74

Even if you go to lots of chamber music concerts, you'll seldom hear these pieces, which are as neglected as most of Dvorák's wonderful output. The String Quartet, Dvorák's ninth, may ramble a bit, but it's so lovely as to disarm any critical reservations, at least on my part. The unusual Terzetto, for two violins and viola, gets played mostly at home chamber music sessions when the cellist hasn't shown up yet. It's relatively terse for Dvorák, but still expansive and beautiful. The set of Dvorák's Quartets by the Prague Quartet (Deutsche Grammophon 429 193-2) has been the standard for decades, but I find these performances better played and recorded, as well as less expensive.--Leslie Gerber