Pianist Alon Goldstein is joined by American chamber music ensemble the Fine Arts Quartet and special guest Rachel Calin on double bass for the world premiere recordings of these chamber versions of two of Mozart’s greatest and most popular piano concertos. To make the two works more accessible to the public, 19th century composer Ignaz Lachner left the piano parts untouched and wrote splendid string quartet transcriptions of the orchestra parts with added bass. These arrangements sound almost as natural as if Mozart had transcribed them himself.

Antonín Dvoráks music, imbued with the spirit of Bohemia, reflects a love of his native land. His String Sextet, written in the distinctive style which brought him international fame, was an immediate success at its premiere. Composed just eight years earlier, his String Quartet No. 4, unpublished until 1968, features pioneering, wild outer movements, highly unusual for the time, which foreshadowed the modernist innovations of composers decades later. A moving Andante religioso, which Dvorák made use of in future works, lies at its heart. The Polonaise exploits both the soulful and virtuoso character of the cello.