Legends Op 59 / Notturno in B major, op.40 / etc

"Another pungent and rhythmically vital disc from Fischer and his fine, Gramophone Award-winning Hungarian orchestra."
- Editor's Choice - Gramophone Magazine (Dec 2000)

Rosette Recording (Penguin Stereo Guide)

This recording focuses on several of Dvorák's smaller works, all of which started out in the form of chamber music.

The Notturno went through several revisions, appearing first as a one-movement string quartet, then as part of a string quintet. Still dissatisfied, Dvorák reworked it again, this time arranging it for string orchestra.

Dvorák wrote the set of Legends as a follow-up to his highly successful Slavonic Dances. Originally composed as piano duets and then arranged for orchestra, they were dedicated to the highly influential critic at the time, Eduard Hanslick. Hanslick played a crucial role in Dvorák's early career by introducing him to Johannes Brahms, who then set up the younger composer with Brahms's own publisher.

The Miniatures and Prague Waltzes were also born by request. Dvorák played the viola with two amateur violinists who lived nearby and offered the Miniatures as compositions for their unusual combination of instruments. The Waltzes (a set of five) were written for a high-profile ball held in Prague in 1879.