Shostakovich: String Quartets 1, 8 & 14

Borodin String Quartet

Shostakovich: String Quartet No. 1 in C Major, Op. 49 String Quartet No. 8 in C minor, Op. 110 String Quartet No. 14 in F sharp major, Op. 142 Two Pieces for String Quartet (Elegy & Polka)

The original Borodin Quartet was founded in 1945 in the Soviet Union and this release marks the Quartet’s 70th anniversary. They enjoyed a close relationship with Shostakovich, and often worked with him as a new quartet was written (and they also recorded the cycle). Now, a new line-up, though still one that bears the characteristic Borodin sound (large, almost symphonic in scope and with a very distinctive way of phrasing), starts a new cycle with works from very different periods in Shostakovich’s music life [No. 1 from 1938, the ever-popular No. 8 from 1960 and No. 14 from 1972 (begun in Aldeburgh when the composer was staying there with Benjamin Britten)]. This album features the three key quartets, including the most popular (No. 8).

Price: $16.98