Shostakovich: String Quartets Nos. 1-15 (complete)

“The Emersons have played Shostakovich all over the world, and this long- pondered intégrale sets the seal on a process that has brought the quartets to the very centre of the repertoire – the ensemble's and ours. While some listeners will miss the intangible element of emotional specificity and sheer Russianness that once lurked behind the notes, the playing is undeniably committed in its coolness, exposing nerve endings with cruel clarity.
The hard, diamond-like timbre of the two violins (the leader's role is shared democratically) is far removed from the breadth of tone one might associate with a David Oistrakh, just as cellist David Finckel is no Rostropovich. But these recordings reveal surprising new facets of a body of work that isn't going to stand still. The Fourth Quartet is a case in point, more delicate than most rivals with the finale relatively pressed, less insistently Jewish. The Fifth sometimes seems closer to Ustvolskaya or American minimalism than the mid-century Soviet symphonic utterance we're used to; the Emerson's almost hectoring mode of address and unfluctuating tempo are maintained for as long as (in)humanly possible. The very vehemence of, say, the finale of the Ninth tends to blunt the harmonic sense of the music, leaving something more visceral and rosiny than the argument can stand. To get the unique feel of this set, sample one of the encore pieces, the 'Polka' from TheAge of Gold. Little humanity and wit, but can you resist the explosive brilliance of the technique? DG's recording is exceptionally vivid if somewhat airless, the separation of the instruments being achieved at the expense of tonal blend.
Given that all the quartets were taped live with only remedial patching, the audience is commendably silent: their enthusiastic applause is retained for Nos 1, 2, 9 and 12 only. This is a Shostakovich cycle for the 21st century.” Gramophone Classical Music Guide, 2010

“Over the years, many recordings have done considerable justice to these most dynamic masterworks of the modern chamber repertoire, but for some time, the readings by the Mandelring quartet have come to be regarded as definitive...If you’re a CD collector rather than a surround sound aficionado, there need be no hesitation -- this is probably the finest complete set of the Shostakovich quartets now on the market.” london24.com, 17th June 2011

“These are wonderful performances. The Mandelring Quartet don’t overplay the savagery and shocks - their approach is lyrical, sane and effortlessly musical. They can deploy the big guns when necessary...but they always care about the line, the musical argument...There’s no self-pity, no indulgence. Recorded between 2005 and 2009 and now reissued in a bargain box, these are near-definitive readings of intense, beautifully crafted works.” The Arts Desk, 30th April 2011

“…this beautifully recorded set… carries Maxim Shostakovich's enthusiastic imprimatur… Scrupulous adoption of Shostakovich's metronome marks has a particularly profound impact on many slow movements such as the second Largo of the Eighth and the Largo of the Third, neither of which sounds quite as heavy and doom-laden as before. ...it's not hard to concur with Maxim that the performances of the Second, Sixth, 11th and 13th are exceptionally satisfying and match the best in the current catalogue.” BBC Music Magazine, November 2006 ****

“This is a remarkable set which sells for less than £30 in the UK or around $50 in the States. The recordings, made by Bavarian Radio between 2001 and 2005, are, if anything, classier still, with equally classy annotations by Shostakovich scholars Frans Lemaire and David Fanning.
Since fact and speculation are for once carefully defined, you won't see here the incautious revisionism of so much Shostakovich commentary.
After securing first prize at the 1993 International Dmitri Shostakovich Competition, the Brussels-based Danel Quartet started their ondisc explorations with rarities, mainly French and Belgian, Modernist and Romantic. Meanwhile, Quartet colleagues have worked with members of both the Borodin and Beethoven Quartets, enjoying cordial relations with the composer's widow, Irina. Fascinating then to find that their approach is often unlike that of recent exponents.
While many of those groups have brought the quartets to the very centre of the repertoire, theirs and ours, they have tended to make them into big, declamatory statements, public property if you will. This development may have begun gloriously with the post-Dubinsky, Soviet Statesanctioned Borodin line-up, but a quartet like the Emerson (DG) displays a forceful technocratic sensibility that precludes much sense of four musicians playing together for pleasure.
With consistently sweet sounds, pronounced yet carefully matched vibrato and lithe, intimately drawn interpretations, the Danel offer something else again. Though old hands may take a while to adjust, their Gallic wit and finesse add a new dimension to familiar music. You're never hit with anything more visceral and rosiny than the argument (and the tuning) can stand, but neither is there is any lack of commitment and fire. There is, however, some close-miked sniffing and at times the recorded sound takes on a wiry quality (especially in No 5). In the conventional intégrale we would certainly rate them above many bigger names.” Gramophone Classical Music Guide, 2010

“With consistently sweet sounds pronounced yet carefully matched vibrato and lithe, intimately drawn interpretations, the Danel offer something else… I found their Gallic wit and finesse adding a new dimension to familiar music.” Gramophone Magazine, May 2006

“These classic recordings, climaxing in a nerve jangling account of the dark and despairing Fifteenth Quartet, continue to dominate the catalogue after nearly a quarter of a century. Musically and technically they are very much in a class of their own. Unmissable.” BBC Music Magazine *****