Dvorák, Smetana, Suk: String Quartets – review

This Czech programme suits the infectious bounce and fizz of the Sacconis , who bring Dvořák's songful "American" quartet to vivid life and drive along the dance-like second movement of Smetana's Quartet No 1 with an irrepressible swing. But it's not all party hats and streamers: Smetana's story was a tragic one, ending in the nightmare of deafness. His quartet carries the title "From My Life", and the sensitive Sacconis bear solemn witness to his sorrowful journey into silence. Equally, they create a reverential stillness in Suk's Meditation on an Old Czech Hymn , a single-movement work of fervent yet dignified Czech nationalism, written as the first world war doused all the festive lights across Europe.