The Czech composer, violinist and violist Josef Suk, born near Prague in 1874, belongs to the second generation of Czech nationalist composers after Smetana and Dvořák. Much of his music was influenced by personal experiences. Suk played the piano himself, finding in it a means of heart felt self-expression. De Maman, the principal work on this recording, was written for Suk’s infant son after the death of his mother. Consisting of intimate and evocative portraits of Suk’s wife, it makes prodigal use of melody and subtle harmonies.