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Brilliant Classics

Shostakovich: String Quartets, Vol. 2 / Quartetto Noûs

$16.99

Details

Composer
Dmitri Shostakovich
Artist
Quartetto Nous
Format
CD
Label
Brilliant Classics
Released
Jun 14, 2024
Catalog #
BRI96420
UPC
5028421964201

About

MusicWeb International made the first volume of this series a Recording of the Month when it was released in 2022. 'This recording by the Quartetto Nous is an exceptionally good one... The superb sound given to the Nous really does make a difference... The Nous play with plenty of grit... but there is always that sense of lamenting, singing voices behind and responding to the violence... If you have any sense that these works are just a bit too austere then this recording is really one to get as it has given me immense pleasure as well as the more expected qualities of a recording of music by Shostakovich.' The Italian ensemble now turns to a trio of quartets traditionally considered inscrutable but (in the right performances) no less filled with both musical and private stories than the quartets of Bartok. The Tenth Quartet embeds the composer's cryptogram, DSCH, within the textures of the outer movements, which are separated by a biting Scherzo and a desolate passacaglia. Reminiscent in these facets of the composer's mid-period symphonies, there is a highly compressed symphonic expression to the quartet. The Eleventh, by contrast is episodic and elliptical, a curtain-raiser to the composer's late style, and the first quartet of four to be dedicated to the individual members of the Beethoven Quartet. Sven brief movements outline and develop a long and winding theme, often making it's way unsteadily along a major-minor ridge. The Twelfth takes a unique form: one of Shostakovich's typical Moderato introductions takes a 12-tone theme as it's subject, though he does not adopt a serial procedure in developing it. This is followed by a long movement condensing elements of Adagio, recitative and fugue which takes the listener on a long dark night of the soul before a major version of it's opening theme wins out, in characteristically equivocal triumph. Between them, the three quartets make a compelling unity of their own, and the Quartetto Nous has established itself among the most distinguished ensembles of our day in this music.

Tracklist 13 tracks

  1. 1 I. Andante 04:16
    Track
    1
    Title
    I. Andante
    Duration
    04:16
    Composer
    Dmitri Shostakovich
    Ensemble
    Quartetto Noûs
  2. 2 II. Allegretto furioso 04:09
    Track
    2
    Title
    II. Allegretto furioso
    Duration
    04:09
    Composer
    Dmitri Shostakovich
    Ensemble
    Quartetto Noûs
  3. 3 III. Adagio 05:54
    Track
    3
    Title
    III. Adagio
    Duration
    05:54
    Composer
    Dmitri Shostakovich
    Ensemble
    Quartetto Noûs
  4. 4 IV. Allegretto 09:27
    Track
    4
    Title
    IV. Allegretto
    Duration
    09:27
    Composer
    Dmitri Shostakovich
    Ensemble
    Quartetto Noûs
  5. 5 I. Introduction: Andantino 02:05
    Track
    5
    Title
    I. Introduction: Andantino
    Duration
    02:05
    Composer
    Dmitri Shostakovich
    Ensemble
    Quartetto Noûs
  6. 6 II. Scherzo: Allegretto 02:46
    Track
    6
    Title
    II. Scherzo: Allegretto
    Duration
    02:46
    Composer
    Dmitri Shostakovich
    Ensemble
    Quartetto Noûs
  7. 7 III. Recitative: Adagio 01:20
    Track
    7
    Title
    III. Recitative: Adagio
    Duration
    01:20
    Composer
    Dmitri Shostakovich
    Ensemble
    Quartetto Noûs
  8. 8 IV. Etude: Allegro 01:18
    Track
    8
    Title
    IV. Etude: Allegro
    Duration
    01:18
    Composer
    Dmitri Shostakovich
    Ensemble
    Quartetto Noûs
  9. 9 V. Humoresque: Allegro 01:02
    Track
    9
    Title
    V. Humoresque: Allegro
    Duration
    01:02
    Composer
    Dmitri Shostakovich
    Ensemble
    Quartetto Noûs
  10. 10 VI. Élégie: Adagio 04:22
    Track
    10
    Title
    VI. Élégie: Adagio
    Duration
    04:22
    Composer
    Dmitri Shostakovich
    Ensemble
    Quartetto Noûs
  11. 11 VII. Finale: Moderato 03:32
    Track
    11
    Title
    VII. Finale: Moderato
    Duration
    03:32
    Composer
    Dmitri Shostakovich
    Ensemble
    Quartetto Noûs
  12. 12 I. Moderato 06:31
    Track
    12
    Title
    I. Moderato
    Duration
    06:31
    Composer
    Dmitri Shostakovich
    Ensemble
    Quartetto Noûs
  13. 13 II. Allegro - Adagio - Moderato - Adagio - Moderato - Allegretto 18:45
    Track
    13
    Title
    II. Allegro - Adagio - Moderato - Adagio - Moderato - Allegretto
    Duration
    18:45
    Composer
    Dmitri Shostakovich
    Ensemble
    Quartetto Noûs