This album presents the complete string quartets of Rudolf Tobias (1873–1918), Estonia’s first professionally trained composer and a foundational figure in the country’s classical tradition. Written between 1899 and 1902 in St. Petersburg, the Quartet in D minor and Quartet in C minor are the first and most significant early Estonian contributions to the genre. The D minor Quartet follows classical sonata form and blends Schubertian lyricism with personal expression. Its second movement, subtitled Et in Arcadia ego, reflects Tobias’s nostalgic connection to his birthplace, while the scherzo and finale reveal rhythmic vitality and formal elegance. Long thought lost, this work was reconstructed from surviving parts and first performed in full only in 1992. The C minor Quartet is more mature and independent in style, combining Beethovenian drive with Tobias’s emerging lyrical voice. It features a passionate Nachtstück (Nocturne), later popularized in arrangements, and a bold, energetic finale. Together, these quartets reveal Tobias’s command of form, his romantic sensibility, and his important role in the early development of Estonian chamber music.