Shostakovich: String Quartets 1,7 & 14

On this CD:

1. String Quartet No 1, in C Major, Op. 49
Composed by Dmitry Shostakovich
Performed by Cavani Quartet

2. String Quartet No 7, in F sharp Minor, Op. 108
Composed by Dmitry Shostakovich
Performed by Cavani Quartet

3. String Quartet No 14, in F sharp major, Op. 142
Composed by Dmitry Shostakovich
Performed by Cavani Quartet

Tracks:

String Quartet No. 3 In F Major, Op. 73: I. Allegretto - D. Shostakovich
String Quartet No. 3 In F Major, Op. 73: II. Moderato con moto - D. Shostakovich
String Quartet No. 3 In F Major, Op. 73: III. Allegro non troppo - D. Shostakovich
String Quartet No. 3 In F Major, Op. 73: IV. Adagio - D. Shostakovich
String Quartet No. 3 In F Major, Op. 73: V. Moderato - Adagio - D. Shostakovich
String Quartet No. 4 In D Major, Op. 83: I. Allegretto - D. Shostakovich
String Quartet No. 4 In D Major, Op. 83: II. Andantino - D. Shostakovich
String Quartet No. 4 In D Major, Op. 83: III. Allegretto - D. Shostakovich

Tracks:

String Quartet No .5 In B flat Major, Op. 92: I. Allegro non troppo - D. Shostakovich
String Quartet No. 5 In B Flat Major, Op. 92: II. Andante - D. Shostakovich
String Quartet No. 5 In B Flat Major, Op. 92: III. Moderato - Allegretto - Andante - D. Shostakovich
String Quartet No. 6 In G Major, Op. 101: I. Allegretto - D. Shostakovich
String Quartet No. 6 In G Major, Op. 101: II. Moderato con moto - D. Shostakovich
String Quartet No. 6 In G Major, Op. 101: III. Lento - D. Shostakovich
String Quartet No.6 in G Major, Op. 101: IV. Allegretto - D. Shostakovich
String Quartet No. 7 In F Sharp Minor, Op. 108: I. Allegretto - D. Shostakovich
String Quartet No. 7 zIn F Sharp Minor, Op. 108: II. Lento - D. Shostakovich
String Quartet No. 7 In F Sharp Minor, Op. 108: III. Allegro - Allegretto - D. Shostakovich

Tracks:

String Quartet No. 8 In C Minor, Op. 110: I. Largo - D. Shostakovich
String Quartet No. 8 In C Minor, Op. 110: II. Allegro molto - D. Shostakovich
String Quartet No. 8 In C Minor, Op. 110: III. Allegretto - D. Shostakovich
String Quartet No. 8 In C Minor, Op. 110: IV. Largo - D. Shostakovich
String Quartet No. 8 In C Minor, Op. 110: V. Largo - D. Shostakovich
String Quartet No. 9 In E Flat Major, Op. 117: I. Moderato con moto - D. Shostakovich
String Quartet No. 9 In E Flat Major, Op. 117: II. Adagio - D. Shostakovich
String Quartet No. 9 In E Flat Major, Op. 117: III. Allegretto - D. Shostakovich
String Quartet No. 9 In E Flat Major, Op. 117: IV. Adagio - D. Shostakovich
String Quartet No. 9 In E Flat Major, Op. 117: V. Allegro - D. Shostakovich
String Quartet No. 10 In A Flat Major, Op. 118: I. Andante - D. Shostakovich
String Quartet No. 10 In A Flat Major, Op. 118: II. Allegretto furioso - D. Shostakovich
String Quartet No. 10 In A Flat Major, Op. 118: III. Adagio - - D. Shostakovich
String Quartet No. 10 In A Flat Major, Op. 118: IV. Allegretto - Andante - D. Shostakovich

Tracks:

String Quartet No. 11 In F Minor, Op. 122: I. Introduction: Andantino - Dmitri Shostakovich
String Quartet No. 11 In F Minor, Op. 122: II. Scherzo: Allegretto - Dmitri Shostakovich
String Quartet No. 11 In F Minor, Op. 122: III. Recitative: Adagio - Dmitri Shostakovich
String Quartet No. 11 In F Minor, Op. 122: IV. Etude: Allegro - Dmitri Shostakovich
String Quartet No. 11 In F Minor, Op. 122: V. Humoresque: Allegro - Dmitri Shostakovich
String Quartet No. 11 In F Minor, Op. 122: VI. Elegy: Adagio - Dmitri Shostakovich
String Quartet No. 11 In F Minor, Op. 122: I. Finale: Moderato - Dmitri Shostakovich
String Quartet No. 12 In D Flat Major, Op. 133: II. Moderato - Allegreto - Dmitri Shostakovich
Allegretto - Adagio - Moderato - Allegreto - Dmitri Shostakovich
String Quartet No. 13 In B Flat Minor, Op. 138: Adagio - Doppio movimento - Tempo primo - Dmitri Shostakovich

Tracks:

String Quartet No. 14 In F Major, Op. 142: I. Allegretto - Dmitri Shostakovich
String Quartet No. 14 In F Major, Op. 142: II. Adagio - Dmitri Shostakovich
String Quartet No. 14 In F Major, Op. 142: III. Allegretto - Adagio - Dmitri Shostakovich
String Quartet No. 15 E-Flat Minor, Op. 144: I. Elegy. Adagio - Dmitri Shostakovich
String Quartet No. 15 E-Flat Minor, Op. 144: II. Serenade. Adagio - Dmitri Shostakovich
String Quartet No. 15 E-Flat Minor, Op. 144: III. Intermezzo. Adagio - Dmitri Shostakovich
String Quartet No. 15 E-Flat Minor, Op. 144: IV. Nocturne. Adagio - Dmitri Shostakovich
String Quartet No. 15 E-Flat Minor, Op. 144: V. Funeral March. Adagio molto - Dmitri Shostakovich
String Quartet No. 15 E-Flat Minor, Op. 144: VI. Epilogue. Adagio - Dmitri Shostakovich

Amazon.com

The Fitzwilliam Quartet is English by birth but shows a lot of Russian soul in these works, which were recorded in consultation with the composer. Their technique is flawless, their immersion in the music total, their interaction with one another and with the music spontaneous and intense. Priced competitively with the Borodin Quartet, they do not have any added attraction to match the Piano Quintet in that set, but this close-up stereo recording is significantly better. Highlights of the set include the relaxed, folk-flavored No. 1; the tense, autobiographical No. 8, which recalls the terrors of World War II, quotes a lot of Shostakovich's earlier works, and mourns for the "victims of fascism and war"; the contrasts of quiet beauty and fierce intensity in No. 10; and the bold structure of No. 15, Shostakovich's last quartet, in which he looks at death, steadily and without blinking. --Joe McLellan

Customer Reviews:

Hum a little Shostakovich.......2007-02-19

I enjoyed these performances and would have purchased this album, but there is a persistent hum on some of these CDs and, once noticed, it became impossible for me not to notice it.

Not just a bargain--a must-have.......2007-02-05

There are perhaps several complete Shostakovich cycles one would like to own for these amazing pieces, and this is one of them. Not every single quartet is perfect, but that is to be expected. What these players excel in is an emotional depth that is perhaps left behind in the sheer brilliance of the Emerson SQ's playing.

Their tempi are excellent: fast when necessary, and painfully slow where Shostakovich asks for it. Perhaps my favorite point of their playing is the articulation, which is broader than most recordings I hear. Typically, they only play short when asked to in the score, and I think this sounds better than, for instance, if the opening of the Fifth Quartet, a work of enormous gravity and passion, is taken lightly.

Get this one. Highly recommended.

lusterless.......2006-11-05

The only qualm I have with this set is that the String Quartet No. 9 is a lusterless endeavor when compared to other renditions. The intensity and suffering just isnt there.

Rating this bargain set against the Emersons at full price.......2006-03-09

For many buyers the choice for a complete cycle of the Shostakovich quartets will come down to three: the Borodin, Emerson, and Fitzwilliam quartets. I own the latter two and can offer a comparison.

Fitzwilliam: This set, made between 1975-77 in a church in Surrey, has the advantage of price. Although the 15 quartets are spread out over 6 CDs as compared to 5 for the Emersons, Decca offers this cycle at roughly half the cost of the DG cycle (it's much cheaper than that, even, on the used market). The performances eschew Russian soul, grit, and emotional extremes such as one hears from the Borodin Quartet. The Fitzwilliam Quartet sounds soulful but stops short of impassioned. As much as it is possible, they make this music friendly and easy to listen to without sacrificing all of its bite and sarcasm. They are not a virtuoso group (English critics actually praise them for this lack, as if the Emersons' technical mastery was a sign of glibness), so individual solo lines, of which there are many in these quartets, sound medium well played, not dazzling. Decca's sound as transferred to CD can be a bit shrill and congested but is certainly good enough. One large missing ingredient is tonal variation--the Fitzwilliam doesn't search out the peculiar tonalities that are implied in Shostakovich's string writing, which can be eerie, ghostly, brutal, and caustic by turns.

Emerson: Recorded in Aspen at intervals between 1994 and 1999, these are live performances from the music festival and are thus not ideal sonically. What's most lacking is solidity and body. Even so, the recorded sound is considerably more detailed than in the Fitzwilliam set, or any other of the four I listened to. When this cycle was first issued in 1999 it swept the field for good reason. The Emersons are head and shoulders above any other quartet for sheer virtuosity in this music. Not that virtuosity is required very often, but the many solo lines are rendered with exquisite technique, and the Emersons pay very close attention to changes in tonality. As a result, these performances are more varied and interesting to listen to than any competitor that I sampled (including the Fitzwilliam, Brodsky, Borodin, St. Petersburg, and Shostakovich quartets on various labels).

The drawbacks are price (it's hard to find even a used set for under $70) and the prevalent accusation, from some quarters, that the Emersons lack Russian soul--they are supposedly too cool, detached, and efficient. Yet this charge can be turned around to say that the Emersons make Shostakovich sound more modern by removing a layer of sentiment. It's really up to the listener to decide, yet I found that cool detachment is not prevalent here--not by any means--and the reviewer below who thinks that the tempos are uniformly too fast is not aware of the field; the Emersons are not extreme in their allegros, at least not very often, and when they play a movement for virtuosic speed, it's almost alwaays to good effect.

I bbught this set because I heard the Emersons play Shostakovich in concert on two occasions, and I was deeply struck by how much better these quartets sound when they are given superlative musicianship. I am not one to believe that Shostakovich was a great master of quartet writing compared to Bartok, Schoenberg, and Janacek among moderns. But he found an idiom, often spare and therefore one-dimenisonal, that is easy to absorb. The Emersons go a step further and give that spare idiom all kinds of shading and colors that often make it sound better than it is.

In sum, I did what many collectors befoe me have done. I gave away the Fitzwilliam set, which was a good stop gap for many years, and relish the Emerson set as a great achievement, especially for a non-Russian ensemble.

A triumph of creativity over censorship.......2006-01-22

It is extremely difficult for a westerner, living in today's modern democracies, to have the full grasp of the extent of censorship and control of the Stalinist regime. During most of his creative life, Shostakovich was under surveillance, and some of his works were publicly censored by the self-intitled followers of the "Socialist Realism". The tension of censorship is reflected in his body of symphonies. The uneveness and limitations of some of his symphonies are a reflection of his limitations under Stalin. His string quartets, however, are mostly free from these limitations. For one, it is extremely difficult to establish what is "socialist realism" in a string quartet. Since Shostakovich was not a follower of serialism, he could afford to translate into the string quartet medium most of his tortured inner self. These quartets are filled with humanism. They are not easy listening in the sense of Hadyn and Mozart. They are rather deep, touching pieces, like the late Beethoven, Schummann, or Bartok. These recordings by the Fitzwilliam Quartet have an immense authority at a reasonable price. Lovers of string quartet cannot afford to be without the entire Shostakovich set, and anynone buying this collection will enjoy a lifetime of rewarding listening.

Average customer rating:

5 stars for what is there.
A very nice partial cycle
A little less of a good thing

Shostakovich: String Quartets 1-13
Dmitry Shostakovich , and Borodin Quartet
Manufacturer: Chandos
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Quartets | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

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Borodin: String Quartets Nos. 1 & 2
Shostakovich: Cello Concerto No1, Op107; Violin Concerto No1 (revised), Op99
Béla Bartók: The 6 String Quartets - Takács Quartet
Shostakovich: String Quartets Nos. 3, 14 & 15
Shostakovich: The String Quartets

ASIN: B00008WQB4
Release Date: 2003-05-20

Tracks:

I Moderato
II Moderato
III Allegro Molto
IV Allegro
I Allegretto
II Moderato Con Moto
III Allegro Non Troppo
IV Adagio
V Moderato
I Moderato
II Allegro-Adagio-Moderato-Adagio-Moderato-Allegretto

Tracks:

I Allegretto
II Andantino
III Allegretto
IV Allegretto
I Allegretto Non Troppo
II Andante
III Moderato-Allegretto
I Allegretto
II Moderato Con Moto
III Lento
IV Lento- Allegretto

Tracks:

I Allegretto
II Lento
III Allegro-Allegretto
I Largo
II Allegro Molto
III Allegretto
IV Largo
V Largo
I Moderato Con Moto
II Adagio
III Allegretto
IV Adagio
V Allegro Molto
I Introduction. Andantino
II Scherzo Allegretto
III Recitative. Adagio
IV Etude. Allegro
V Humoresque. Allegro
VI Elegy. Adagio
VII Finale. Moderato

Tracks:

I Overture. Moderato Con Moto
II Recitative And Romance. Adagio
III Waltz. Allegro
IV Theme With Variations. Adagio
I Adante
II Allegretto Furioso
III Adagio
IV Allegretto
Adagio-Doppio Movimento-Tempo Primo

Customer Reviews:

5 stars for what is there........2004-03-08

This is an excellent transfer of the recordings I remember from the Seraphim set of the 70's -- and more inclusive, since I believe that set stopped at #11.

As suggested in another post, I augmented this set with the Glinka and Beethoven Quartets recordings of #s 14 & 15 on the Praga label -- equally impressive performances; a fine recording.

It is hard to choose between this earlier set, and the later set, which includes all the quartets, plus the Quintet with Richter (and a really lumbering account of the scherzo; it could almost be a 'lost' fragment by Bruckner). Frankly, at this level of musicianship and personal identification with the composer, it might be a matter of shelf space! The BMG box is pretty hefty,
enclosing perhaps seven separate jewel cases. This chandos set, plus the Praga of the last two quartets, and a recording of the quintet take up the space of @ 4 1/2 jewel cases.

Unfortunately, living in a Manhattan appartment does make one think twice about shelf space. But this is a trivial matter; the performance and recording are what really count. All the more reason to appreciate this current, compact issue of excellent recordings.

A very nice partial cycle.......2003-12-25

Since there seems to be some confusion as to what these recordings are, let's make a few things clear. This is the Borodin's first stereo go-round of the quartets, recorded for Melodiya in the late 60s and early 70s. It is not the same as the well-known EMI box set which was recorded in the 80s and keeps bouncing in and out of circulation. These performances have never been available on CD before.
Of course the last two quartets didn't exist at the time of these recordings, but they were set down by the slightly reconfigured Borodins soon thereafter and it is too bad those documents have been orphaned as they would have made the most logical compliment to this not quite complete set.
As to the performances themselves, they are classic, comparable to the later EMI versions but heard in a warmer acoustic, which has the effect of making the music seem a little less edgy, too.
One hopes that some of the other masterful cycles of this music by groups such as the Beethoven, Tanayev and Shostakovich Quartets will return to the catalog. The Borodins are great, but not the last or only word on the subject.

A little less of a good thing.......2003-10-27

The Borodin Quartet made their first Shostakovich cycle for Melodiya in 1967-71. Soon after the 14th and 15th quartets were written in 1973 and 74, they were recorded, too, but never integrated into any of the incarnations of this set, last seen in the US on Angel's budget Melodiya/Seraphim label. It is a shame they could not have been included here.

The performances are comparable to the 1980s Melodiya traversal now available on EMI, which is to say they are pretty great though perhaps a shade less intense, an impression abetted by the sound, which is warmer and more spacious than in the later set. But, of course, that one gives you all 15 Quartets and the Piano Quintet with Richter.

Average customer rating:

Musical Must Have
Powerful, sometimes devastating
a shame!
Could not be a better 8th
Fitzwilliam versus Ermerson -- which to choose?

Complete String Quartets
Dmitry Shostakovich , and Emerson String Quartet
Manufacturer: Deutsche Grammophon
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Quartets | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | R&B | Styles | Music

Classical | Box Sets | Stores | Music

Deutsche Grammophon: Music | Specialty Stores | Music
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Bela Bartok: The 6 String Quartets - Emerson String Quartet
Mendelssohn: The Complete String Quartets / Emerson String Quartet
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Beethoven: The String Quartets

ASIN: B00003XAGO
Release Date: 2000-01-11

Tracks:

Quartet No. 1 In C Major Op. 49: 1. Moderato
Quartet No. 1 In C Major Op. 49: 2. Moderato
Quartet No. 1 In C Major Op. 49: 3. Allegro molto
Quartet No. 1 In C Major Op. 49: 4. Allegro
Quartet No. 2 In A Major Op. 68: 1. Overture: Moderato con moto
Quartet No. 2 In A Major Op. 68: 2. Recitative And Romance: Adagio
Quartet No. 2 In A Major Op. 68: 3. Waltz: Allegro
Quartet No. 2 In A Major Op. 68: 4. Theme With Variations: Adagio - Moderato con moto - Allegretto - Piu mosso - Allegro non troppo - Allegro - Adagio
Quartet No. 3 In F Major Op. 73: 1. Allegretto
Quartet No. 3 In F Major Op. 73: 2. Moderato con moto
Quartet No. 3 In F Major Op. 73: 3. Allegro non troppo
Quartet No. 3 In F Major Op. 73: 4. Adagio - attacca:
Quartet No. 3 In F Major Op. 73: 5. Moderato - Adagio

Tracks:

Quartet No. 4 In D Major Op. 83: 1. Allegretto
Quartet No. 4 In D Major Op. 83: 2. Andante
Quartet No. 4 In D Major Op. 83: 3. Allegretto - attacca:
Quartet No. 4 In D Major Op. 83: 4. Allegretto
Quartet No. 5 In B Flat Major Op. 92: 1. Allegro non troppo - attacca:
Quartet No. 5 In B Flat Major Op. 92: 2. Andante - Andantino - Andante - Andantino - Andante - attacca:
Quartet No. 5 In B Flat Major Op. 92: 3. Moderato - Allegretto - Andante
Quartet No. 6 In G Major Op. 101: 1. Allegretto
Quartet No. 6 In G Major Op. 101: 2. Moderato con moto
Quartet No. 6 In G Major Op. 101: 3. Lento - attacca:
Quartet No. 6 In G Major Op. 101: 4. Lento - Allegretto - Andante - Lento

Tracks:

Quartet No. 7 In F Sharp Minor Op. 108: 1. Allegretto - attacca:
Quartet No. 7 In F Sharp Minor Op. 108: 2. Lento - attacca:
Quartet No. 7 In F Sharp Minor Op. 108: 3. Allegro - Allegretto - Andante - Lento
Quartet No. 8 In C Minor Op. 110: 1. Largo - attacca:
Quartet No. 8 In C Minor Op. 110: 2. Allegro molto - attacca:
Quartet No. 8 In C Minor Op. 110: 3. Allegretto - attacca:
Quartet No. 8 In C Minor Op. 110: 4. Largo - attacca:
Quartet No. 8 In C Minor Op. 110: 5. Largo
Quartet No. 9 In E Flat Major Op. 117: 1. Moderato con moto - attacca:
Quartet No. 9 In E Flat Major Op. 117: 2. Adagio - attacca:
Quartet No. 9 In E Flat Major Op. 117: 3. Allegretto - attacca:
Quartet No. 9 In E Flat Major Op. 117: 4. Adagio - attacca:
Quartet No. 9 In E Flat Major Op. 117: 5. Allegro
Quartet No. 10 In A Flat Major Op. 118: 1. Andante
Quartet No. 10 In A Flat Major Op. 118: 2. Allegretto furioso
Quartet No. 10 In A Flat Major Op. 118: 3. Adagio - attacca:
Quartet No. 10 In A Flat Major Op. 118: 4. Allegretto - Andante

Tracks:

'Lady Macbeth Of The Mtsensk District', Op. 29: Adagio (Elegy) For String Quartet
'The Age Of Gold', Op. 22: Allegretto (Polka) For String Quartet
Quartet No. 11 In F Minor Op. 122: 1. Introduction: Andantino - attacca:
Quartet No. 11 In F Minor Op. 122: 2. Scherzo: Allegretto - attacca:
Quartet No. 11 In F Minor Op. 122: 3. Recitative: Adagio - attacca:
Quartet No. 11 In F Minor Op. 122: 4. Etude: Allegro - attacca:
Quartet No. 11 In F Minor Op. 122: 5. Humoresque: Allegro - attacca:
Quartet No. 11 In F Minor Op. 122: 6. Elegy: Adagio - attacca:
Quartet No. 11 In F Minor Op. 122: 7. Finale: Moderato - Meno mosso - Moderato
Quartet No. 12 In D Flat Major Op. 133: 1. Moderato - Allegretto - Moderato - Allegretto - Moderato
Quartet No. 12 In D Flat Major Op. 133: 2. Allegretto - Adagio - Moderato - Adagio - Moderato - Allegretto
Quartet No. 13 In B Flat Minor Op. 138: Adagio - Doppio movimento - Tempo primo

Tracks:

Quartet No. 14 In F Sharp Major Op. 142: 1. Allegretto - Meno mosso - Allegretto - Meno mosso - Allegretto
Quartet No. 14 In F Sharp Major Op. 142: 2. Adagio - attacca:
Quartet No. 14 In F Sharp Major Op. 142: 3. Allegretto - Poco meno mosso - Adagio
Quartet No. 15 In E Flat Minor Op. 144: 1. Elegy: Adagio - attacca:
Quartet No. 15 In E Flat Minor Op. 144: 2. Serenade: Adagio - attacca:
Quartet No. 15 In E Flat Minor Op. 144: 3. Intermezzo: Adagio - attacca:
Quartet No. 15 In E Flat Minor Op. 144: 4. Nocturne: Adagio - attacca:
Quartet No. 15 In E Flat Minor Op. 144: 5. Funeral March: Adagio molto - attacca:
Quartet No. 15 In E Flat Minor Op. 144: 6. Epilogue: Adagio - Adagio molto

Amazon.com's Best of 2000

Can an American string quartet grasp the power of Shostakovich's 15 string quartets? By the sounds of this incredible cycle, the answer is a resounding Yes! Capturing every nuance of Shostakovich's emotionally gripping, sometimes humorous, often angst-filled compositions, the Emersons deliver very likely the finest performances of these works available. --Jason Verlinde

Customer Reviews:

Musical Must Have.......2007-06-01

These are wonderfully performed and spectacularly produced CDs. Other reviewers have commented about the applause. It does not detract from the listening experience. In fact, I feel that it adds to the live quality that these discs have. The energy and freshness of a live performance shine in each quartet. And, it has the sound quality of a studio recording. The sound is balanced and intimate. I cannot say enough about how fantastic this set is.

Powerful, sometimes devastating.......2006-11-10

This would be a bargain at almost any price, and the depth of emotional intensity that the Emerson brings to a live performance -- I saw them on a sticky evening at Ravinia in summer 2006, playing the last three quartets -- is evident in this stunning studio collection. In addition to the climactic quartets, don't miss the Eighth. Happy 100th birthday, Dmitri.

a shame!.......2006-09-25

These guys used to be decent players, but their playing have gotten worse over the years. They have no understanding of Shostakovich's music, but then again who does? These extraordinary works deserve extraordinary interpretations and nobody has yet offered definitve performances yet. Meanwhile, Fitwilliam and Debussy quartet offer very good performance of some of these works.

Could not be a better 8th.......2006-06-25

Just saw the Emerson do the 8th at the Amelia Island chamber music summer program. It is not possible that there is a better performance of this work. Moving beyond belief.

Fitzwilliam versus Ermerson -- which to choose?.......2006-03-09

For many buyers the choice for a complete cycle of the Shostakovich quartets will come down to three: the Borodin, Emerson, and Fitzwilliam quartets. I own the latter two and can offer a comparison.

Fitzwilliam: This set, made between 1975-77 in a church in Surrey, has the advantage of price. Although the 15 quartets are spread out over 6 CDs as compared to 5 for the Emersons, Decca offers this cycle at roughly half the cost of the DG cycle (it's even cheaper on the used market). The performances eschew Russian soul, grit, and emotional extremes such as one hears from the Borodin Quartet. The Fitzwilliam Quartet sounds soulful but stops short of impassioned. As much as it is possible, they make this music friendly and easy to listen to without sacrificing all of its bite and sarcasm. They are not a virtuoso group (English critics actually praise them for this lack, as if the Emersons' technical mastery was a sign of glibness), so individual solo lines, of which there are many in these quartets, sound medium well played, not dazzling. Decca's sound as transfered to CD can be a bit shrill and congested but is certainly good enough. One large missing ingredient is tonal variation--the Fitzwilliam doesn't search out the peculiar tonalities that are implied in Shostakovich's string writing, which can be eerie, ghostly, brutal, and caustic by turns.

Emerson: Recorded in Aspen at intervals between 1994 and 1999, these are live performances from the music festival and are thus not ideal sonically. What's sometimes lacking is solidity and warmth. Even so, the recorded sound is considerably more detailed than in the Fitzwilliam set, or any other of the four I listened to. When this cycle was first issued in 1999 it swept the field for good reason. The Emersons are head and shoulders above any other quartet for sheer virtuosity in this music. Not that virtuosity is required very often, but the many solo lines are rendered with exquisite technique, and the Emersons pay very close attention to changes in tonality. As a result, these performances are more varied and interesting to listen to than any competitor that I sampled (including the Fitzwilliam, Brodsky, Borodin, St. Petersburg, and Shostakovich quartets on various labels).

The drawbacks are price (it's hard to find even a used set for under $70) and the prevalent accusation, from some quarters, that the Emersons lack Russian soul--they are supposedly too cool, detached, and efficient. Yet this charge can be turned around to say that the Emersons make Shostakovich sound more modern by removing a layer of sentiment. It's really up to the listener to decide, yet I found that cool detachment is not prevalent here--not by any means--and the reviewer below who thinks that the tempos are uniformly too fast is not aware of the field; the Emersons are not extreme in their allegros, at least not very often, and when they paly a movement for virtuosic speed, it's almost alwaays to good effect.

I bbught this set because I heard the Emersons play Shostakovich in concert on two occasions, and I was deeply struck by how much better these quartets sound when they are given superlative musicianship. I am not one to believe that Shostakovich was a great master of quartet writing, not compared to Bartok, Schoenberg, and Janacek among moderns. But he found an idiom, often spare and therefore one-dimenisonal, that is easy to absorb. The Emersons go a step further and give that idiom all kinds of shading and colors that often make it sound better than it is.

In sum, I did what many collectors befoe me have done. I gave away the Fitzwilliam set, which was a good stop gap for many years, and relish the Emerson set as a great achievement, especially for a non-Russian ensemble.

Shostakovich: String Quartets Complete (Box Set)

Average customer rating:

Affordable modern Digital Shostakovich...
Very Good Shostakovich Cycle
Shostakovich on a Shoestring

Shostakovich: String Quartets Complete (Box Set)

Manufacturer: Brilliant Classics
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Quartets | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music

Brahms: Complete String Quartets, Quintets & Sextets

ASIN: B000092Q5V
Release Date: 2003-04-29

Customer Reviews:

Affordable modern Digital Shostakovich..........2007-04-03

and worth every penny and more.
Everyone lucky enough to have picked up a copy of the Borodin Quartets cycle when it was list price, will already have all the Shostakovich String Quartets they'll ever need.
The Rubio Quartet doesn't carry the emotional depth or angst of The Borodin's in this music, but NO ONE else does either.
But this performance DOES belong at the Top of a short list of modern Digital recordings.
Beautifully played, with wonderful warm tone and the requisite fire when appropriate.
Their phrasing is impeccable and the unified ensemble sound is as good as it gets.
If there was ever a complaint about The Borodin Quartet's recording it would be the sound quality.
While it is still Excellent sound, it is a bit dry and maybe a slight bit compressed at the bottom end.
And CDs have made many advances since the Early 80s when it was recorded by (Russian) Meloydia.
On the other hand this Rubio recording on Brilliant Classics is just that-BRILLIANT-.
Wide open to allow air between each note creating a greater transparency and clarity than almost all the competition.
The sound is SUPERB.
So, unless you are willing to lay out $75+ for the Borodin cycle, that's if you can find it, this is an affordable alternative and would still be at a higher price.
If the Borodin's had never recorded this cycle, I dare say The Rubio performance would make a top first choice.
This is the best "bargain" out there.
And we're talking FIVE, 60+ minute CDs.
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.

Very Good Shostakovich Cycle.......2006-03-17

I want to thank the other reviewer for leading me to this set; cash-strapped teenager maybe, but he knows quality when he hears it! The Rubio Quartet is Flemish and its full, warm sound (very handsomely recorded on these ridiculously inexpensive CDs)is a joy to hear .... and very recognizable to anyone who's heard marvelous Dutch/Belgian/Flemish string players like Anner Bylsma. The Rubio may not provide the kind of idiomatic Slavic 'grit' you hear on classic Shostakovich recordings by the Beethoven and Borodin quartets, but their performances are fully competitive with everybody else (including those by younger Russian ensembles like the St. Petersburg Quartet). According to the excellent liner notes, the Rubio recordings were made 'live' in a Flanders church over a few months in 2002. A small audience was present at each recital/session, but I heard almost no audience noise at all: the performances are so good the listeners must have been nearly mesmerized! Competition in this price range comes from classic 1970s British recordings by the Fitzwilliam Quartet, now available in a bargain box from Decca. The Fitzwilliam performances are certainly marvelous, but the Rubio's are just as accomplished and insightful and are also better recorded. One more word about the liner notes: I've rarely seen such detailed and insightful notes -- each quartet is discussed separately -- included with 'bargain box' sets. This is a first-rate production all around. If you don't know the Shostakovich quartets, it's just about a perfect introduction. And even if you do own other recordings this Brilliant Classics set is such a great bargain you just shouldn't pass it up.

Shostakovich on a Shoestring.......2004-09-12

As a teenage conneseiur of classical music, I can't exactly dish out the money that some other recordings of the complete Shostakovich String Quartets cost. This is the best you can get for the money, and worth much more! The sound quality is fantastic, and I find little wrong with the CDs. While I prefer the Kronos Quartet's phrasing (particularly on the 8th string quartet), the Rubio's mellower sound is a nice alternative, and adds a contrast to the otherwise pessimistic music of Dmitri Shostakovich. Named in honor of the late instrument maker Rubio, they all play on his instruments. In part due to this continuity of instrument, and part due to their extraordinary musicality, the recordings have a very unified sound. This is a great find!

Dmitri Shostakovich: The String Quartets

Average customer rating:

Amazing authentic performance!
Another dissenter from orthodoxy
Best overall set to have
fairly icky

Dmitri Shostakovich: The String Quartets

Manufacturer: Elektra / Wea
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Quartets | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music

Tracks:

String Quartet No.1In C Major, Op. 49: Moderato
String Quartet No.1In C Major, Op. 49: Moderato
String Quartet No.1In C Major, Op. 49: Allegro molto
String Quartet No.1In C Major, Op. 49: Allegro
String Quartet No.2 In A Major, Op. 68: Overture: Moderato con moto
String Quartet No.2 In A Major, Op. 68: Recitativo & Romance: Adagio
String Quartet No.2 In A Major, Op. 68: Valse
String Quartet No.2 In A Major, Op. 68: Tema con variazioni: Adagio - Allegretto - Piu mosso - Allegro non troppo - Allegro - Adagio

Tracks:

String Quartet No.3 In F Major, Op 73: Alleggretto
String Quartet No.3 In F Major, Op 73: Moderato con moto
String Quartet No.3 In F Major, Op 73: Allegro non troppo
String Quartet No.3 In F Major, Op 73: Adagio
String Quartet No.3 In F Major, Op 73: Moderato
String Quartet No.4 In D Major, Op. 83: Allegretto
String Quartet No.4 In D Major, Op. 83: Andantino
String Quartet No.4 In D Major, Op. 83: Allegretto
String Quartet No.4 In D Major, Op. 83: Allegretto

Tracks:

String Quartet No.5 In B Flat Major, Op, 92: Allegro non troppo
String Quartet No.5 In B Flat Major, Op, 92: Andante
String Quartet No.5 In B Flat Major, Op, 92: Moderato
String Quartet No.6 In G Major,Op, 101: Allegretto
String Quartet No.6 In G Major,Op, 101: Moderato con moto
String Quartet No.6 In G Major,Op, 101: Lento
String Quartet No.6 In G Major,Op, 101: Lento : Allegretto
String Quartet No.7 In F Sharp Minor, Op. 108: Allegretto
String Quartet No.7 In F Sharp Minor, Op. 108: Lento
String Quartet No.7 In F Sharp Minor, Op. 108: Allegro

Tracks:

String Quartet No.8 In C Minor, Op. 110: Largo
String Quartet No.8 In C Minor, Op. 110: Allegro molto
String Quartet No.8 In C Minor, Op. 110: Allegretto
String Quartet No.8 In C Minor, Op. 110: Largo
String Quartet No.8 In C Minor, Op. 110: Largo
String Quartet No.9 In E Flat Major, Op. 117: Moderato con moto
String Quartet No.9 In E Flat Major, Op. 117: Adagio
String Quartet No.9 In E Flat Major, Op. 117: Allegretto
String Quartet No.9 In E Flat Major, Op. 117: Adagio
String Quartet No.9 In E Flat Major, Op. 117: Allegro
String Quartet No.10 In A Flat Major, Op. 118: Andante
String Quartet No.10 In A Flat Major, Op. 118: Allegretto furioso
String Quartet No.10 In A Flat Major, Op. 118: Adagio
String Quartet No.10 In A Flat Major, Op. 118: Allegretto

Tracks:

String Quartet No.11 In F Minor, Op. 122: Introduction
String Quartet No.11 In F Minor, Op. 122: Scherzo
String Quartet No.11 In F Minor, Op. 122: Recitativo
String Quartet No.11 In F Minor, Op. 122: Etude
String Quartet No.11 In F Minor, Op. 122: Humoresque
String Quartet No.11 In F Minor, Op. 122: Elegy
String Quartet No.11 In F Minor, Op. 122: Finale
String Quartet No.12 In D Flat Major, Op. 138: Moderato
String Quartet No.12 In D Flat Major, Op. 138: Allegretto
String Quartet No.13 In B Flat Minor, Op, 138: Adagio

Tracks:

String Quartet No.14 In F Sharp Major, Op. 142: Allegretto
String Quartet No.14 In F Sharp Major, Op. 142: Adagio
String Quartet No.14 In F Sharp Major, Op. 142: Allegretto
String Quartet No.15 In E Flat Minor, Op. 144: Elegy: Adagio
String Quartet No.15 In E Flat Minor, Op. 144: Serenade: Adagio
String Quartet No.15 In E Flat Minor, Op. 144: Intermezzo: Adagio
String Quartet No.15 In E Flat Minor, Op. 144: Nocturne: Adagio
String Quartet No.15 In E Flat Minor, Op. 144: Funeral march: Adagio molto
String Quartet No.15 In E Flat Minor, Op. 144: Epilogue: Adagio

Customer Reviews:

Amazing authentic performance!.......2007-01-08

Not many recordings of this quality out there. Good CD quality as well...

Another dissenter from orthodoxy.......2003-11-14

This was the first set I picked up; later I got the 2nd Borodin and the Emerson sets. This one is my favorite. I listen to a lot of swing, jazz, roots music, some cult-figure rock acts, and miscellaneous goofy music. I'm not a classical purist by any stretch.

I like this quartet's tempos, a lot. The blend of the instruments is also really nice. While a Stereophile magazine review called this set "slick," I don't really hear it--I'm moved when I hear this set. I would call the playing sometimes stark, often gutsy, with plenty of beauty and humor (where appropriate).

I guess I like this performance because I'm not always thinking about the fact that I'm listening to a work in the string quartet genre, with three centuries of tradition hovering nearby. I just hear the uniqueness of Shostakovich, which can be audacious, modern, and funny, like the music of Raymond Scott, like "Hot Rats," like Eric Dolphy, and the Pixies.

I'm not trying to argue that this set is definitive, or that other well-reviewed sets get it wrong. But I've seen very little mention of it, favorably or otherwise, in Shostakovich-cycle comparisons, and I've gotten a great deal of enjoyment from it.

Too bad for the Brodsky Quartet that Time-Warner has virtually priced this set out of the market. How can it hope to compete with the bargain-priced 2nd Borodin set on BMG, which seems to be universally hailed as the benchmark. The curious who don't want to buy the premium-priced Emerson (which has gotten so much favorable attention), and who are unsure about the other choices, are not going to go out on limb for this one. I think the audience and the artists would benefit if this were priced to compete with the Borodin

Best overall set to have.......2002-06-18

Buying the Shostakovich quartets can be tricky. Of the four sets I've had, this one by the Brodsky Quartet is the one I've kept, (along with the Borodin cycle) as a reference to these stellar works. The Brodskys play with precision and passion. Tempi choices are spot-on, unlike the Emerson's new recording, which are plain too fast. The acoustic is detailed, yet with appropiate warmth. A great set. I wish I had tried it first before buying the Fitzwilliam and Emerson sets. I could have saved myself a lot of money and frustration. After all is said and done, I'm glad to have it. It's essential music.

fairly icky.......2002-05-24

This is a string quartet that has made itself famous by wearing designer clothes on stage instead of the traditional concert outfits. And that's about all they have going for them. The tempi are generally slow, the color is generally plain and bland and unchanging, the recording quality is fairly dry - in short, there's not much of a reason to buy this CD set, especially when you take into account the price that frequently varies, but is almost always about twice the cost of the Fitzwilliam quartet, certainly one of the finest groups to record the Shostakovich quartets. Also check out the Borodin and St. Petersburg Quartet recordings for some really thick, Russian interpretations, or grab Emerson for a fiery live sound.
This one just isn't worth it.

Average customer rating:

Cavani Shines!
First rate pieces, first rate performances

Shostakovich: String Quartets 1,7 & 14

Manufacturer: Azica
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Quartets | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music

Customer Reviews:

Cavani Shines!.......2007-03-10

I own all of Cavani's recordings and I too adore this group of incredible artists!

First rate pieces, first rate performances.......2003-03-06

I've had the great pleasure of hearing these very, very talented
ladies perform in my area 2 summers, where they were also conducting
workshops. I bought this CD in the hall after one of the performances,
but didn't really appreciate it until I had bought the complete set
of Shostakovich's 15 quartets. I absolutely recommend that anyone
buy the complete set also, but if you only want a sampling, really a
a subset, I don't think you'll do better than this CD.

As with Beethoven, Shostakovich's string quartets are milestones in
both the personal and compositional history of the composer, though in
this case Shostakovich had already written his landmark 5th symphony
before penning the first string quartet. In this phase of his life
the composer was in serious trouble with Stalin and his henchmen, though
he did get some reprieve from the symphony. The other two string quartets
on the CD are #7 and #14. The latter is significant because it represents
the composer's trying to come to terms with his immminent death. For what
it's worth the program notes quote him as saying that he felt that there
was "nothing, nothing" beyond death, and you can definitely here this
"blunt pessimisim" in the #14. Yet to his credit, Shostakovich composed a
number of first-rate pieces even while very ill.

The musicians here have the feel of seemingly every note, every
nuance. When I listen to Shostakovich I think of a Russian word which
means suffering, the pervasive, perhaps even hopeless suffering that seems
to be endemic to Russian life. I feel it very deeply in parts of these
string quartets because of the very sensitive performances. Yet the allegro
movements that conclude the first and seventh quartets are uplifting, also
intense!

Tracks:

Complete String Quartets, Volume 1: I Allegretto -
Complete String Quartets, Volume 1: II Lento -
Complete String Quartets, Volume 1: III Allegro - Allegretto
Complete String Quartets, Volume 1: I Allegretto
Complete String Quartets, Volume 1: II Moderato con moto
Complete String Quartets, Volume 1: III Lento -
Complete String Quartets, Volume 1: IV Lento - Allegretto - Andante
Complete String Quartets, Volume 1: I Andante
Complete String Quartets, Volume 1: II Allegretto furioso
Complete String Quartets, Volume 1: III Adagio -
Complete String Quartets, Volume 1: IV Allegretto

Fragments Vol. 1: Alexander String Quartet - SHOSTAKOVICH Quartets Nos. 1-7; Preludes & Fugues; Piano Quintet with pianist, Roger Woodward

Average customer rating:

Quite simply one of the best traversals of the Shostakovich 'Quartets'!!

Fragments Vol. 1: Alexander String Quartet - SHOSTAKOVICH Quartets Nos. 1-7; Preludes & Fugues; Piano Quintet with pianist, Roger Woodward

Manufacturer: FoghornClassics
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Quartets | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

Quintets | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

Fugues | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music

Customer Reviews:

Quite simply one of the best traversals of the Shostakovich 'Quartets'!!.......2007-07-22

This is the first part of the ASQ's complete recording of the Quartets. Their Beethoven was highly praised in the Penguin Guide; this set deserves similar praise. Roger Woodward's contribution at the piano is an extra bonus. Do you self a favor and listen to these recordings, and their Beethoven. You won't be disappointed!

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