String Quartet No.1 In C Major, Op.49: I: Moderato
String Quartet No.1 In C Major, Op.49: II: Moderato
String Quartet No.1 In C Major, Op.49: III: Allegro molto
String Quartet No.1 In C Major, Op.49: IV: Allegro
String Quartet No.2 In A Major, Op.68: I: Overture (Moderato con moto)
String Quartet No.2 In A Major, Op.68: II: Recitative and Romance (Adagio)
String Quartet No.2 In A Major, Op.68: III: Waltz (Allegro)
String Quartet No.2 In A Major, Op.68: IV: Theme with Variations (Adagio)
String Quartet No.4 In D Major, Op.83: I: Allegretto
String Quartet No.4 In D Major, Op.83: II: Andantino
String Quartet No.4 In D Major, Op.83: III: Allegretto
String Quartet No.4 In D Major, Op.83: IV: Allegretto
Track Listings (12) - Disc #2
String Quartet No.3 In F Major, Op.73: I. Allegretto
String Quartet No.3 In F Major, Op.73: II. Moderato con moto
String Quartet No.3 In F Major, Op.73: III. Allegro non troppo
String Quartet No.3 In F Major, Op.73: IV. Adagio
String Quartet No.3 In F Major, Op.73: V. Moderato
Two Pieces For String Octet, Op.11: I. Prelude in D Minor (Adagio)
Two Pieces For String Octet, Op.11: II. Scherzo in G Minor (Allegro molto)
Piano Quintet in G Minor, Op.57: I. Prelude (Lento)
Piano Quintet in G Minor, Op.57: II. Fugue (Adagio)
Piano Quintet in G Minor, Op.57: III. Scherzo (Allegretto)
Piano Quintet in G Minor, Op.57: IV. Intermezzo (Lento)
Piano Quintet in G Minor, Op.57: V. Finale (Allegretto)
Track Listings (10) - Disc #3
String Quartet No.5 in B flat Major, Op.92: I. Allegro non troppo
String Quartet No.5 in B flat Major, Op.92: II. Andante
String Quartet No.5 in B flat Major, Op.92: III. Moderato
String Quartet No.6 in G Major, Op.101: I. Allegretto
String Quartet No.6 in G Major, Op.101: II. Moderato con moto
String Quartet No.6 in G Major, Op.101: III. Lento
String Quartet No.6 in G Major, Op.101: IV. Lento- Allegretto
String Quartet No.7 in F sharp Minor, Op.108: I. Alegretto
String Quartet No.7 in F sharp Minor, Op.108: II. Lento
String Quartet No.7 in F sharp Minor, Op.108: III. Alegro
Track Listings (14) - Disc #4
String Quartet No.8 In C Minor, Op.110: I: Largo
String Quartet No.8 In C Minor, Op.110: II: Allegro molto
String Quartet No.8 In C Minor, Op.110: III: Allegretto
String Quartet No.8 In C Minor, Op.110: IV: Largo
String Quartet No.8 In C Minor, Op.110: V: Largo
String Quartet No.9 In E Flat Major Op.117: I: Moderato con moto
String Quartet No.9 In E Flat Major Op.117: II: Adagio
String Quartet No.9 In E Flat Major Op.117: III: Allegretto
String Quartet No.9 In E Flat Major Op.117: IV: Adagio
String Quartet No.9 In E Flat Major Op.117: V: Allegro
String Quartet No.10 In A Flat Major, Op.118: 1: Andante
String Quartet No.10 In A Flat Major, Op.118: II: Allegretto furioso
String Quartet No.10 In A Flat Major, Op.118: III: Adagio
String Quartet No.10 In A Flat Major, Op.118: IV: Allegretto
Track Listings (10) - Disc #5
String Quartet No.11 In F Minor, Op.122: I. Introduction (Andintino) - 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: VII. Conclusion (Moderato) - Dmitri Shostakovich
String Quartet No.12 In D Flat Major, Op.133: I. Moderato - Dmitri Shostakovich
String Quartet No.12 In D Flat Major, Op.133: II. Allegretto - Dmitri Shostakovich
String Quartet No.13 In B Flat Minor, Op.138: Adagio - Dmitri Shostakovich
Track Listings (9) - Disc #6
String Quartet No.14 In F Sharp Minor: I. Allegretto
String Quartet No.14 In F Sharp Minor: II. Adagio
String Quartet No.14 In F Sharp Minor: III. Allegretto
String Quartet No.15 In E Flat Minor: I. Elegy (Adagio)
String Quartet No.15 In E Flat Minor: II. Serenade (Adagio)
String Quartet No.15 In E Flat Minor: III. Intermezzo (Adagio)
String Quartet No.15 In E Flat Minor: IV. Nocturne- Adagio
String Quartet No.15 In E Flat Minor: V. Funeral March (Adagio molto)
String Quartet No.15 In E Flat Minor: VI. Epilogue (Adagio)
Rarely do we come across as intimate and wide-angled a set as this collection of Dmitri Shostakovich's 15 string quartets, all of them played by the Russian Borodin Quartet. Recorded in Moscow between 1978 and 1983, the qu... more »artets are excellently reproduced in digital sound by Sviatoslav Richter, who maintains just enough shadow from the old Melodiya vinyl's audio vérité to make the music breathe passionately. Of course, it's the Borodins who really amp up the musical breath, whether in their near-giddy reading of the third quartet's first movement or in the 14th's complex, stoutly metaphysical somberness. These recordings will likely always remain the standard for Shostakovich's chamber repertoire because the Borodins were so focused on the Russian quartet literature and so little of anything they played by one composer approached the immediate, mature fullness of Shostakovich's quartets from the first to the last. And they played the music with unflagging intensity. Over the six CDs, it's a fascinating exercise to hear the development of compositional elements between the first (1935) and 15th (1974, the year before his death) quartets. Variations on the passacaglia technique, for example, permeate the music, allowing telescopic focus on Shostakovich's careful mediation of the dialogue between constancy and change, flying motifs from violin to viola to cello and back even as it appeared little fundamental groundwork had changed. Polyphony, dissonance, and aching resonance find a home in the music, showing Shostakovich's Catholic reach--and surely the impetus for his long-standing troubled relationship with Soviet politics. --Andrew Bartlett« less
Rarely do we come across as intimate and wide-angled a set as this collection of Dmitri Shostakovich's 15 string quartets, all of them played by the Russian Borodin Quartet. Recorded in Moscow between 1978 and 1983, the quartets are excellently reproduced in digital sound by Sviatoslav Richter, who maintains just enough shadow from the old Melodiya vinyl's audio vérité to make the music breathe passionately. Of course, it's the Borodins who really amp up the musical breath, whether in their near-giddy reading of the third quartet's first movement or in the 14th's complex, stoutly metaphysical somberness. These recordings will likely always remain the standard for Shostakovich's chamber repertoire because the Borodins were so focused on the Russian quartet literature and so little of anything they played by one composer approached the immediate, mature fullness of Shostakovich's quartets from the first to the last. And they played the music with unflagging intensity. Over the six CDs, it's a fascinating exercise to hear the development of compositional elements between the first (1935) and 15th (1974, the year before his death) quartets. Variations on the passacaglia technique, for example, permeate the music, allowing telescopic focus on Shostakovich's careful mediation of the dialogue between constancy and change, flying motifs from violin to viola to cello and back even as it appeared little fundamental groundwork had changed. Polyphony, dissonance, and aching resonance find a home in the music, showing Shostakovich's Catholic reach--and surely the impetus for his long-standing troubled relationship with Soviet politics. --Andrew Bartlett
"Sure there are other good recordings by other quartets of the complete String Quartets of Dmitri Shostakovich -- for double (or triple!) the price. But not only are the Borodin Quartet recordings cheap, they are the best. The Borodins give an unshakably consistent reading of every quartet (and Shostakovich fires no blanks!). They even throw in the Piano Quintet and the two String Octet movements. Each performance is among the best ever recorded and some ARE the best ever recorded, especially the immensely convincing and coherent readings of the middle-late dodecaphonic quartets (12, 13) and the late 'introverted' quartets (14, 15). Even the over-recorded 8th quartet sounds amazingly fresh here. I can't recommend this set enough. You won't regret the purchase for a nanosecond."
Still the one.
Howard G Brown | Port St. Lucie, FL USA | 02/10/2001
(5 out of 5 stars)
"I believe this is the lowest priced complete set of the quartets now available, and probably the best. I had the Manhattan Quartet's traversal, and it is better recorded than the Borodin's but somehow pales in comparison. There are the notes, and there is what is behind and between the notes. A musician might (rightly) scoff at this, but the entire reason for those pages on the music stand is communication -- moment to moment and on the wing.The Borodin Quartet instictively phrases this music, paces it, balances it, in a thousand ways that cause the listener to marvel at these inventive departures from Vienese/Western chamber traditions. The music is often vulgar, daring to "stink in the ears" as Hanslick once wrote of Tschaikovsky, but just as often naive, childlike, and tragic as Lear on the heath with dead Cordelia. It smiles though wounded; it dances on broken legs; it can make you laugh and break your heart. Perhaps too often it dares to be more than chamber music ought to be, but in the last quartets -- 11 through 15 -- Shostakovich also concerns himself with pure music and with a very personal way of employing tone rows. The few Beethoven Quartet performances I have suggest that ensemble knew this music best, but the Borodin's match them very closely. I would also recommend the Fitzwilliam Quartet set on Decca, based on lps I owned a number of years ago.The Quintet performance is a distinguished bonus, adding value to this set. I still think the composer's recording with the Beethoven Quartet remains the best, though not as well played or recorded (the same is often said for Schnabel's Beethoven sonata recordings, the irony being there is more to music than the notes on the page)."
Large palletttes of colour ,drama ,and aggressiveness
scarecrow | Chicago, Illinois United States | 08/12/2000
(5 out of 5 stars)
"I don't know if we can classifiy this as THE definitive reading of the life work of one of this centuries most celebrated creator,but The Borodin certainly capture in a profound way the emotive dramatic core, the essence,colour,gesture,tone and philosophic depth reflecting the weight of this century.These Quartets inhabit a different space than the Symphonies although the two genres are always placed side by side, incorrectly I think. The Quartets had a purer conception,and they always worked best when left alone without addendums as,the Piano Quintet Op.57, included with admirable aggressive playing from Sviatoslav Richter.Here in the Quintet I thought rendered the strings as mere accompaniment,not first chair actors/ speakers. Shostakovich's creativity always required a voice, that is one element that is shared with the Symphonies,where flute,clarinet,bassoon are given solo roles as a form of commentary on some previous atrocity,or a sense of repose,of serene reflection, and the various First Violin Solos especially that occur throughout all these works is one focus,a parallel with his immense Symphonies.The Borodin allows interpretive freedoms,like concerto soloists each role,and gives it the space it needs, as in the demonic Allegro molto from the Eighth Quartet. The Borodin continually distinguish themselves in not being afraid to play an ugly sound,a Gypsy-like gesture, as again moments from the Eighth where the viola merely marks out a chord quite obviously, with an ugly tone, or the simple provincial minor chord outlines in the Third Quartet,something a street musician might have done.The Borodin know how to create great tension as in the opening of the Ninth Quartet,compare their reading with others as The Manhatten Quartets rather glib reading (for the lunch time crowd) of the Ninth. This tension is created by a larger dynamic gradation of sound, between what is loud and what is almost barely perceptible with The Borodin. Great drama is engaged here with biting nasal(again ugly) violin sounds always in the demonic Allegrettos throughout these works. Shostakovich's creativity does have a one-dimensional cast like he was revealing/telling the same story over and over again waiting patiently for humanity to change. Well not in the last century. There are more hopeful utterances however as in the opening moments of the Tenth Quartet,a incredibly expansive timbral one with a large Brucknerian sound,yet framed within classic proportions. The Third Quartet as well,written right after the Second World War is positive momentarily,where more Russians perished than anyone else.The Emerson Quartets readings,for they have a complete set, I found quite reserved,restrained,but not uninteresting opting for a more spiritual,solemn reading,with thinner overall timbres,less overall density of sound, rather than the Borodin here who bring a very large pallette of colour,drama,aggresiveness and irrationality to their playing."
Quintessential Recordings of a Seminal Quartet Cycle
Christopher Forbes | Brooklyn,, NY | 10/31/2002
(5 out of 5 stars)
"The 15 Shostakovitch Quartets are almost the mirror image of the 15 Symphonies. While the Symphonies are big public statements, albeit statements filled with many private meanings, the quartets are intensely private. Listening the the entire cycle is like reading a locked diary. You feel as if you are listening in on Shostakovitch's private thoughts. And while the symphonies are primarily works of his early years (the first ten were written before the early fifties) the most of the quartets were written later in his career, the last ten date from about 1950 onward. These are wide ranging works, from the almost Haydnesque 1st quartet through the almost serial 13th quartet, and onward to the intensely elegaic 15th quartet, composed of 7 slow movements. The early quartets are mostly written in Shostakovitch's middle style as reflected in the 5th symphony. The music is clear and very tonal, as most works of Shostakovitch's Soviet Realist style would be. But they reveal underlying secrets in the occasional dissonances and dark moments. And starting with the 6th quartet the music begins to transition into the composer's late style. These works are more enigmatic. The musical language is more chromatic...based on the same synthetic scales that inspired Scriabin and Messiaen...and much more dissonant than the earlier quartets. Shostakovitch is much more experimental, stretching his language and formal structures. Also, there seems to be crytic messages in the music based on numerical symbolism, hidden letter messages, and references to the composer's other music. These performances are definative. The Borodin Quartet, along with the Beethoven Quartet, have the best pedigree with these works, having worked personally with the composer, and actually premiering some of these works. This boxed set is a beautifully remastered version of the original Meloydia recordings. Where the Meloydia pressings were muddy and boxy, this remastering sounds spacious, like they would sound in a concert hall. And the emotional content of the playing is stunning. If you can get it, this is the recording to have of these seminal pieces. Get them now!"
One of the Greatest Recordings in Classical Music
Douglas Weaver | Ypsilanti, MI USA | 06/03/2001
(5 out of 5 stars)
"This is as good as it gets. Shostavokich's most intimate statements played by a the superlative Borodin quartet. The Borodins play with a level of technical fluency that I've heard matched only by the Alban Berg Quartet at their best. But that is only half of the story--the depth of their interpretations will take you deeper and deeper into the music upon repeated listenings. They summon ensemble colors that evoke the most savory Jewish folk music to the bleakest of winter nights. BMG/Melodiya has done wonders with the sound quality, which, if you have heard these performances on EMI, was bone dry at times. And there are wonderful perks in the set: Svantislov Richter joining them for the Piano Quintet, the Prokoviev Quartet joining them for Two Pieces for Sring Octet. All of this offered in a set ... This is simply one of the finest recordings I've ever heard."
Track Listings (12) - Disc #1
