For several years following composition of his first piano quartet, Dvořák’s publisher Simrock pushed him to compose a follow-up piece in the genre. The work, written during a few short weeks in summer 1889, fulfilled Simrock’s wishes. With his op. 87, Dvořák delivered a challenging and mature work in which a mastery of form is combined with memorable themes and surprising harmonic turns, leading it quickly to conquer the hearts of both performers and audiences.

The engraver’s model for the ...