Save around 22% with
the retailers listed alongside

The second volume in what is appearing to be a ground breaking series of Shostakovich String Quartets from Hyperion brings together a trio of even numbered works that cover the decade from 1949 to 1960. The first two are in four movements whilst the last composition has five bitterly concentrated movements indicating a marked preference for severity of form. I would rate the Sixth as the greatest of these works not just for its abundance of striking ideas but also for that memorable final movement, a sardonic play on notes surely with the oppressive dictator in mind. These works are confessional outpourings of grief and deep human trauma and thus could be seen as intimate diaries of one who disappeared, in a metaphysical sense. The Fourth is also imbued with a high sense of personal tension especially in the long brooding Andantino with its almost fragmentary like construction, all conveys void and despair. With the 8th Quartet we are on altogether more spirited ground although as I mentioned earlier there is a severity of form that signals some strong undercurrents. In all three quartets, the St Petersburg ensemble is thrilling, just sample their daredevil tricks in the opening Allegretto of the Fourth and the dazzling Allegro molto of the Eighth, this is indeed great playing. Comparing them with the stately Fitzwilliam String Quartet revealed some shocking differences and I was always more moved by the Russians' inimitable sense of palpable authenticity. Add all that to a perfectly satisfactory recording and you have a disc that should be listed as a definitive version of Shostakovich's 'Intimate Letters'. Next instalment please!

Reviewer

Gerald Fenech

Performance:

Sound:

Reviewer

Gerald Fenech

Performance:

Sound:

Reviews from previous months