Dvorak's 11th String Quartet was commissioned in 1881 by the Hellmesberger String Quartet based in Vienna.
The premiere at the Vienna Ringtheater was postponed due to a fire that damaged the building. The date of the rescheduled premiere is unknown. The quartet received it's Czech premiere in 1884.
Although one of Dvorak's greatest chamber compositions, the 11th String Quartet has the misfortune of being between Dvorak's two most popular quartets (the 10th "Slavonic" and the 12th "American"). As a result, it is one of the most undeservedly underperformed works in Dvorak's mature output.
Written with a Viennese audience in mind, the 11th String Quartet was composed in a more traditional style and contains few elements of Czech nationalism.
