Shostakovich / Brodsky Quartet - Shostakovich: Complete String Quartets - COMPACT DISCS [CD]

The Fitzwilliam String Quartet celebrates a remarkable milestone with this special fiftieth anniversary recording of Shostakovich's last three string quartets. Fittingly, this landmark recording will look back to the music which first propelled the Fitzwilliam to international prominence. Shostakovich entrusted the Fitzwilliam with the western premieres of his last three quartets (Nos. 13, 14, 15), and before long they had become the first ever group to perform and record all fifteen, winning many international awards along the way. The highly innovative String Quartet No.13 is notable for it's unique single-movement form and the virtuosic viola writing, which shines a spotlight on founding member Alan George. No.14, despite it's twelve-tone structure, is perhaps the most accessible of Shostakovich's late quartets with a wealth of identifiable melodies. The six movements of No.15 are profoundly melancholic and intimate, with the composer's obsession with death a clear influence. The Fitzwilliam's pre-eminence in the interpretation of these works has persisted Benjamin Britten reported after Shostakovich's death in 1975 that the composer had told him the Fitzwilliam were his 'preferred performers of my quartets'.

Shostakovich Quartet - Complete String Quartets [COMPACT DISCS] Boxed Set date 01/25/2011

The late quartets are among the last works that Beethoven completed, and are considered by many as the pinnacle of his achievements as a composer, and among the greatest compositions of all time. The Russian prince Nikolai Galitzin wrote to Beethoven in November 1822, requesting 'one, two or three new quartets, for which labor I will be glad to pay you what you think proper'. This commission resulted in the Quartets, Opp. 127, 132, and 130, after which he went on to write Quartets, Opp. 131 and 135, and then the substitute final movement for Op. 130, which replaced the Große Fugue that originally had ended that piece -and which Stravinsky described as 'an absolutely contemporary piece of music that will be contemporary forever'. In this recording the Brodsky Quartet has chosen to include (emulating several other quartets) the Quartet, Op.95. Although this piece significantly pre-dates the others, in terms of innovation and compositional style it points strongly towards the later works. Since their formation in 1972, the Brodsky Quartet has earned -and maintained -a worldwide reputation for excellence and innovation. Exclusive Chandos recording artists, the Brodsky Quartet has won numerous awards and accolades, and remains committed to an extensive programme of educational work in addition to their hectic performing and recording schedules.