Artist: Borodin Quartet
Album: Shostakovich: String Quartets Nos.1, 8 & 14
Genre: Classical
Release Date: 2015
Audio Format:: FLAC (tracks) 24 bit, 96 kHz
Duration: 01:15:52
Total Tracks: 14
Total Size: 1,27 GB

Tracklist:

01. Borodin Quartet – String Quartet No.1 in C major Op.49 – I. Moderato (04:27)
02. Borodin Quartet – String Quartet No.1 in C major Op.49 – II. Moderato (04:34)
03. Borodin Quartet – String Quartet No.1 in C major Op.49 – III. Allegro molto (02:05)
04. Borodin Quartet – String Quartet No.1 in C major Op.49 – IV. Allegro (03:08)
05. Borodin Quartet – String Quartet No.8 in C minor Op.110 – I. Largo (05:37)
06. Borodin Quartet – String Quartet No.8 in C minor Op.110 – II. Allegro molto (02:53)
07. Borodin Quartet – String Quartet No.8 in C minor Op.110 – III. Allegretto (04:35)
08. Borodin Quartet – String Quartet No.8 in C minor Op.110 – IV. Largo (06:50)
09. Borodin Quartet – String Quartet No.8 in C minor Op.110 – V. Largo (04:27)
10. Borodin Quartet – String Quartet No.14 in F sharp major Op.142 – I. Allegretto (09:07)
11. Borodin Quartet – String Quartet No.14 in F sharp major Op.142 – II. Adagio (10:51)
12. Borodin Quartet – String Quartet No.14 in F sharp major Op.142 – III. Allegretto (09:53)
13. Borodin Quartet – Two Pieces for String Quartet Op.36a – I. Elegy (04:37)
14. Borodin Quartet – Two Pieces for String Quartet Op.36a – II. Polka (02:40)

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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).These live performances by the Borodin String Quartet have been released by Decca in celebration of the group’s 70th anniversary, but more importantly, they mark the start of a new cycle of Shostakovich’s string quartets, the most personal works he composed and the most closely associated with this Russian ensemble. The String Quartet No. 1 in C major (1938), the String Quartet No. 8 in C minor (1960), and the String Quartet No. 14 in F sharp major (1972), mark distinctly different periods in Shostakovich’s writing, and the string quartets as a whole bear special significance, perhaps more than other works, because they contained his most private musical statements. Although the Borodin String Quartet has changed personnel several times since its founding in 1945, it retains much of the character and sound it has cultivated for decades. The group’s historic work with Shostakovich and long identification with his music still can be felt in the intensity and seriousness of these performances, particularly in the String Quartet No. 8, which has become a touchstone for many quartets and the best known of the cycle. But the immediacy of the Borodin’s sound is the strongest recommendation for hearing this recording, which practically brings the listener inside their vibrant music-making.