By the end of the 19th century, the piano quartet had established itself as a demanding chamber music genre in its own right, so it comes as no surprise that publisher Fritz Simrock Dvorak asked for a further contribution.

The second Piano Quartet in E flat major op. 87 was composed in the summer of 1889 in a creative frenzy: "My head is so full, if man could write it all down right away! It's unexpectedly easy, and the melodies are just pouring in. God bless!" These words also characterise ...