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See Terms & Conditions for p&p rates. | |  | Shostakovich: String Quartets
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| |  | Beethoven & Shostakovich - String Quartets
For the Atrium Quartet, to couple Beethoven and Shostakovich seemed self-evident: in the realm of the string quartet, these composers dominated their respective eras, and both made an indelible mark on the history of the genre. They left a number of works with similar features; both men juxtapose strongly contrasted moods, shifting rapidly from violence to meditative inwardness, from insouciance to melancholy. ‘Moreover, it is well known that thirteen of Shostakovich’s fifteen quartets were premiered by the Beethoven Quartet, founded in Moscow in 1923. This formation had made a name for itself by performing the complete cycle of Beethoven quartets in 1927, for the commemoration of the centenary of the composer’s death. Because of the demise of its cellist, Sergey Shirinsky, it was unable to give the premiere of Shostakovich’s String Quartet no.15, which was entrusted to the Taneyev Quartet – whose cellist Joseph Levinson subsequently became the mentor of the Atrium Quartet. So, a Beethoven-Shostakovich coupling? Self-evident, no doubt about it. ’ Hélène Cao The ATRIUM STRING QUARTET is the first Quartet from Russia which has won the two most important International Competitions for String Quartets. They first rose to international prominence in April 2003 when they won the First Prize and the Audience Prize in the London International String Quartet Competition which was held at the prestigious Wigmore Hall, when they made their debut on BBC Radio 3 with a performance of the Fifth String Quartet of Shostakovich. “The Shostakovich… is totally engrossing. …the Atriums sustain intensity throughout the epic structures of the first and third movements while managing to hold back sufficiently to make the ultimate climaxes all the more cataclysmic.” BBC Music Magazine, October 2008 ***** “This is undoubtedly the finest recording of the Fifth Quartet to have appeared during recent years and if that of Beethoven's Harp Quartet is not of the same stature, then the smouldering pathos and visceral excitement that the Atrium draw from its slow movement and Scherzo respectively suggest that the Beethoven quartets are... hardly less ripe for further exploration. The Strium's Shostakovich, however, is a performance to treasure.” Gramophone Magazine, November 2008 “The Atrium Quartet won first prize in the 2003 London International String Quartet Competition with a gripping account of Shostakovich's Fifth Quartet – along with the Twelfth, the most wide ranging and powerfully wrought of the cycle, though among the least performed.
On their disc, unfazed by its demands, the Atrium steer a propulsive course through the Allegro – easily the most persuasively argued of Shostakovich's sonata-form movements – and effect a suspenseful transition into the Andante, whose otherworldliness is underlined by the sparing but varied use of vibrato. Nor does the finale disappoint – its initial animation and violent culmination leading to a coda whose bittersweet oblivion is unerringly captured.
This is undoubtedly the finest recording of the Fifth Quartet to have appeared during recent years and if that of Beethoven's Harp Quartet is not of the same stature, then the smouldering pathos and visceral excitement that the Atrium draw from its slow movement and Scherzo respectively suggest that the Beethoven quartets are territory hardly less ripe for further exploration.
The Atrium's Shostakovich, however, is a performance to treasure. Decently recorded, too.” Gramophone Classical Music Guide, 2010 | | | In stock - usually despatched within 1 working day. |
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| |  | Shostakovich: Streichquartette 3 & 5 - Polka
| | | (also available to download from $10.50) | Usually despatched in 2 - 3 working days. (Available now to download.) |
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| |  | The Soviet Experience Volume IString Quartets by Dmitri Shostakovich and his Contemporaries
This is the first installment in the Pacifica Quartet’s highly anticipated, four-volume CD survey of the complete Shostakovich string quartets: The Soviet Experience: String Quartets by Dmitri Shostakovich and his Contemporaries. The Soviet Experience is the first Shostakovich quartet cycle to include works by other important composers of the Soviet era, adding variety and perspective to the listening experience. This superbly performed series of audiophile recordings, produced and engineered by multiple Grammy Award winner Judith Sherman, will appeal to everyone interested in great Russian music of the 20th century. It’s also a great value: each two-CD installment is priced as a single CD. “Its release coincides with their electrifying performances at Wigmore Hall last week. Listen to these and you'll wish you had been there.” The Observer, 16th October 2011 “The Pacificas play them with clairvoyant unity of purpose, combining motivic lucidity and naturalness of expression in a way that gives these often difficult masterworks a compelling logic.” Financial Times, 18th November 2011 **** “their sense of the musical argument is always impressive, shining through their objective but never over-slick approach. The Pacifica Quartet only seem to draw breath, like Shostakovich, between movements. As a result, the continuous Fifth Quartet just keeps coming at you...The Sixth Quartet has never seemed more genuinely tender, and the aphorisms of the Seventh are full of determination...Lovely, cultured musicianship throughout.” BBC Music Magazine, January 2012 *****  BBC Music Magazine
Chamber Choice - January 2012 |
| | | (also available to download from $20.75) | Usually despatched in 2 - 3 working days. (Available now to download.) |
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| |  | Ravel & Shostakovich: String Quartets
The Navarra String Quartet was formed at the RNCM in 2002, and since then has won numerous awards, including First Prize in the 2005 Florence International Competition and Second Prize in the 2007 Melbourne International Competition. In 2008 the Navarra Quartet won the Outstanding Young Artist Award at the MIDEM Classique Awards in Cannes. They were selected for representation by Young Artist Concert Trust programme in 2006 and in 2007 received a Borletti-Buitoni Trust Fellowship. “The Ravel is bright and breezy, with a lovely sense of texture in the skittering figures of the first movement and deliciously rhythmic pizzicato in the second. The Shostakovich demands a more extensive emotional range and the Navarras don't stint, digging into its ferocious explorations and quirky arguments with passion and enthusiasm.” Classic FM Magazine, February 2011 **** “The Ravel...is at times daringly spacious yet always magically fine-spun, the light, silvery tone of leader Xander van Vliet setting the tone for a reading of variety, delicacy and restraint...[the Shostakovich] may suit those who prefer a lighter sonority and a not-so-implacable quality of attack in this music...there's no mistaking the depth of feeling these musicians bring” Gramophone Magazine, February 2011 “one is carried along by the highly concentrated effect of the Ravel as a whole...In the Shostakovich Quartet...the playing is attentive and astute...The disc as a whole indicates a strongly unified and sensitive quartet with consistently well-gauged balance and control in two very demanding works.” International Record Review, March 2011 | | | Usually despatched in 4 - 5 working days. |
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| |  | Shostakovich: Complete String Quartets Volume 3
There is no doubt that Ludwig van Beethoven’s legacy was fundamental in the creation of Dmitri Shostakovich’s String Quartets which are outstanding both in their craftsmanship and spirituality. They are also convincing in their palette of forms and expressions on a chamber music level, as well as their technical demands and cyclical links between movements. The confessional character of the works is determined by three secret acknowledgements: to his beloved pupil Galina Ustvolskaya, his late wife Nina and his third wife to whom Shostakovich dedicated his ninth string quartet. This is the third volume in the series by the Mandelring Quartet. | | | Usually despatched in 3 - 4 working days. |
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| |  | Shostakovich - Complete String Quartets Volume 5
| | | (also available to download from $10.50) | Usually despatched in 2 - 3 working days. (Available now to download.) |
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| |  | Shostakovich - String Quartets Nos. 5, 7 & 9
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“Such all-round sophistication is rare and treasurable.” Gramophone Magazine | | | (also available to download from $5.75) | Usually despatched in 2 - 3 working days. (Available now to download.) |
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| |  | Shostakovich: String Quartets Nos. 1-13
Shostakovich: | String Quartet No. 1 in C Major, Op. 49 String Quartet No. 3 in F major, Op. 73 String Quartet No. 12 in D flat major, Op. 133 String Quartet No. 4 in D major, Op. 83 String Quartet No. 5 in B flat major, Op. 92 String Quartet No. 6 in G major, Op. 101 String Quartet No. 7 in F sharp minor, Op. 108 String Quartet No. 8 in C minor, Op. 110 String Quartet No. 9 in E flat major, Op. 117 String Quartet No. 11 in F minor, Op. 122 String Quartet No. 2 in A major, Op. 68 String Quartet No. 10 in A flat major, Op. 118 String Quartet No. 13 in B flat minor, Op. 138 |
Original Borodin String Quartet - Rostislav Dubinsky, Yaroslav Alexandrov (violins), Dimitry Shebalin (viola), Valentin Berlinsky (cello) | | | (also available to download from $16.25) | Usually despatched in 2 - 3 working days. (Available now to download.) |
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Gramophone Magazine
