Fitzwilliam quartet shostakovich string
1 In C Major, Op , I Moderato · 2 In A Major, Op , I Overture: Moderato Con Moto · 3 In F Major, Op , I Allegretto · 4 In D..
The Fitzwilliam Quartet is English by birth but shows a lot of Russian soul in these works, which were recorded in consultation with the composer.
THE STRAD RECOMMENDS
The Strad Issue: February 2020
Description: A fitting 50th-anniversary recording of late Shostakovich
Musicians: Fitzwilliam Quartet
Works: Shostakovich: Last Three String Quartets: no.13 in B flat minor op.138; no.14 in F sharp major op.142; no.15 in E flat minor, op.144
Catalogue Number: Linn CKD 612
To mark its 50th anniversary, the Fitzwilliam Quartet has re-recorded Shostakovich’s last three quartets – whose first Western performances were given by the ensemble.
No.13 (1970) was dedicated to the then recently retired violist of the Beethoven Quartet, and here features the Fitzwilliam’s Alan George. He makes a mark not least in the short–short–long gestures that rip through the sustained ffp chords in the first movement.
His booklet notes, incidentally, are generous and illuminating too.
From the start, it’s evident that the Fitzwilliam has worked at removing any hint of conventional Romantic–lyrical expression, so that
