Album: Dvorák, Piano Quartet/Piano Quintet – The Schubert Ensemble (Chandos)

On first listen, there is nothing radical about the Schubert's performance here.

The folk-inspired accents have bite and tang, the broad melodies that offset them a handsome lustre. Listen closely, though, and a wealth of clever detailing emerges from this quartet and guest violinist Alexandra Wood. The tones chosen are understated, the articulation feathery, dry or dewy. This is Dvorák played not as a gifted naïf but as a sophisticate, subtle and assured.