Dumky Trio

Piano Trio No. 4 in E minor, Op. 90 (B. 166), nicknamed 'The Dumky Trio' because all six of its movements are in dumka form. Composed 1890–91, it is unique in the chamber music literature for sustaining the alternating moods of the dumka — melancholy and energetic — across an entire multi-movement work. It is Dvořák's most frequently performed piano trio.

The emotional volatility of the Dumky Trio — the sudden switches from lament to exuberance — requires complete physical and emotional commitment. The transitions are abrupt by design; do not smooth them. The melancholy sections need an almost improvisatory freedom; the energetic outbursts need physical presence.