Martinů: String Quartets Nos. 2, 3, 5, 7

A Gem of Czech Chamber Music

When we speak of Czech music, we think of Dvořák and Smetana. But 20th-century Czech music holds a gem often overlooked—Martinů’s string quartets.

Martinů wrote seven string quartets in his life, the best gateway into his chamber world.

This album by the Pavel Haas Quartet, containing Nos. 2, 3, 5, and 7, is hailed as “the strongest contemporary recording of this repertoire.”

The Pavel Haas Quartet

The Pavel Haas Quartet, named after Czech composer Pavel Haas, was founded in 2002 and has won multiple Gramophone magazine awards.

They have an innate understanding of Czech music—that complex emotion blending nostalgia, passion, and modernism, which flows naturally in their playing.

Critics describe their playing as having “a strong tension worthy of Martinů’s writing.”

Martinů’s Musical Language

Martinů’s string quartets span different phases of his creative life—from early folk style to late modernism.

No. 2 is full of Czech folk vitality; No. 5 carries the melancholy and complexity of his exile period. The four works together read like a map of 20th-century Czech music.

The Taiwan Connection

The Pavel Haas Quartet made its Taiwan debut in October 2025, performing at Taipei’s National Concert Hall—a rare chance for Taiwanese listeners to witness their power in person.

This recording is the finest testament to their art.

Why Listen

If your knowledge of Martinů is limited to “he’s a minor composer,” this album will completely change your mind.

This is an album that lets you feel the interweaving of Czech chamber music’s deep tradition and modern vitality. Whether you’re a Martinů fan, a quartet fan, or a listener wanting to know 20th-century Czech music, this is unmissable.

Further Listening

If you love Martinů, explore Hrůša’s complete symphonies. And Brahms’s piano quartets offer another quartet tradition.