Antonin Dvorák: Dumky Piano Trio Op 90

Dumky Piano Trio Op. 90 (for Violin, Cello and Piano). By Antonin Dvorak (1841-1904). Edited by Klaus Doge. Piano Trios. Henle Music Folios. Softcover. 88 pages. G. Henle Verlag #HN799. Published by G. Henle Verlag (HL.51480799).

“At certain points it will be like a serious song, at others like a happy dance …” This was how Dvorák described the work which he was composing at the time to a friend in 1890. The word “Dumka” (plural “Dumky”) actually describes a Slavic dance-form with a noticeable alternation between melancholic and dance-like boisterous passages. The Dumka is a recurring theme in Dvorák’s chamber music; although always only as a single movement. The unusual form of this piano trio – it has a succession of six “Dumky”, each with its own very distinctive character and great expressiveness – means that it is one of the Czech master’s best-loved works.

This beloved masterwork is comprised of six “Dumky,” plural of Dumka, a Slavic dance form with noticeable melancholic and boisterous passages.