Suk 4 Stucke Op 17 Nos 3 & 4 (Schott)

Suk, 4 Pieces for Violin and Piano op17 (Schott)

Edited by Wolfgang Birtel with fingerings and bowing by Ida Bieler

Josef Suk (1824–1935) was a bit in the shadow of the two famous Czech composers Antonín Dvořák and Bedřích Smetana. This affected Suk especially because Dvořák was also his father-in-law, a fact that made his artistic emancipation all the more difficult. After Dvořák's death, however, he rapidly succeeded in finding his own musical language and in going his way as a musician.

Suk was also a violinist, working in particular as second violin of the Czech String Quartet founded in 1891. He wrote, surely for his own personal use, '4 Pieces for Violin and Piano' Op. 17 published in 1900 – a highly romantic music spiced with Bohemian sounds. Exciting performance pieces which are rewarding for both instrumentalists.