DMITRY SHOSTAKOVITCH

 

String Quartets 6, 8 & 11

 

Jerusalem Quartet:

Alexander Pavlovsky, Sergei Bresler,Amichai Grosz, Kyril Zlotnikov

 

After a first volume devoted to Quartets Nos.1, 4 and 9, the musicians of the Jerusalem Quartet return to one of their great favourites, Shostakovitch.

 

Shostakovich had just finished his Seventh Quartet when the leader of the Beethoven Quartet told him that Melodiya had asked them to record his 'last quartet':

"Last quartet?" exclaimed the composer. "When I've written all my quartets, then we'll talk about my last quartet!"

"And how many do you intend to write?"

"Twenty-four", replied Shostakovich. "Haven't you noticed that I never repeat a key? I'll write twenty-four quartets, so as to have a complete cycle."

 

Shostakovich only managed to finish fifteen quartets, but it is necessary to bear this large-scale project in mind in order to place these quartets in their rightful

context.

 

Harmonia Mundi HMC901953