After nearly three years in the United States, where, among other things, he composed his famous Ninth Symphony “From the New World,” Dvořák longed to return home. Despite the success, he missed his family and the Bohemian countryside. He still put the first notes of his String Quartet No. 14 on paper on the other side of the ocean, but he did not complete the quartet until after his return. The almost euphoric mood of coming home can be heard in this beautiful work. For those who know Dvořák primarily from his symphonies or the “American” works, this quartet offers a beautiful, more introspective side of the composer.

Dvořák’s bliss is in stark contrast to Schubert’s state of mind. He wrote his String Quartet No. 14 at the age of 27, during a period of illness and inner turmoil. A few years earlier, Schubert had been told he was incurably ill. Fear, threat, hope and resignation are palpable in the dark but deeply moving music. The second movement is based on his song Der Tod und das Mädchen, in which a young woman begs death to pass her by. The internationally acclaimed Pavel Haas Quartet juxtaposes both works.