The disc presents two quintets for piano and string quartet by two distinguished Hungarian composers from the 20th century: Béla Bartók and Ernst von Dohnányi.

While Bartók's Piano Quintet is an outstanding juvenilia, Dohnányi's sophisticated work represents its author at its best. The two Quintets were composed within a ten year span (1904-1914), a period of fantastic musical flourishing.

This disc sees the first time collaboration between the Zemlinsky Quartet and Paolo Giacometti and is a must for anyone interested in the great tradition of Mitteleuropa chamber music. The unique coupling of these two beautiful and rarely recorded works are underrated by discography.

The Zemlinsky Quartet belongs to the glorious tradition of Central-European string quartets, characterised by nobility and spontaneity of expression, flawless technique, lack of mannersisms, profound and humble insight of the score.