Rondo for Cello and Piano in G minor, Op. 94, B171

In 1892 Dvorak travelled on a “farewell” tour of Bohemian and Moravian cities before his departure for the United States. As fellow performers he chose his friends, violinist Ferdinand Lachner and cellist Hanus Wihan. The programme for the concerts consisted of Dvorak’s piano trios, involving all three artists (with the composer at the piano), in addition to which each of them would also play solo pieces. For the purposes of this tour Dvorak wrote Rondo in G minor with piano accompaniment for Wihan and he also arranged some of his earlier works (the eighth Slavonic Dance and Silent Woods from the cycle From the Bohemian Forest). Two years later he arranged the Rondo’s piano accompaniment for small orchestra. The Rondo elaborates three distinctive themes, evolving according to the regular form A-B-A-C-A-B-A.