Dmitri Shostakovich
String Quartet No. 10 in A flat major Op. 118
String Quartet No. 8 in C minor Op. 110
Ludwig van Beethoven
String Quartet No. 14 in C sharp minor Op. 131
Borodin Quartet
19 April 2015, Wigmore Hall, London
*************
It bears repeating. Dmitri Shostakovich wrote his Eighth String Quartet in 3 days. While it is based around his musical signature - his initials D S C H written into the score - the quartet treats this material in a wide variety of ways. Its directness of utterance and sombre, strongly personal character make it one of the real impact quartets in the repertoire.
With the Borodin Quartet we were in the safest of hands. This is a group with a historical connection to the composer. The Eighth can get others over-excited. Crucially the Borodin Quartet did not exaggerate the emotion. This very fine quartet's evenness of tone and sound was again evident, as with their appearance in Wimbledon last year. This had a wonderful effect in the rich major harmony of the String Quartet Number 10.
The inexhaustible Beethoven C# Minor Quartet formed the second half. What a pinnacle of quartet writing it is. Almost a meta-quartet, seemingly searching through the possibilities of the four instruments individually and collectively, before coming into focus in the last two of the seven movements. On this night the detached, philosophical approach of the Borodin, together with its harmonious, blended sound made for a richly satisfying conclusion to the evening.
Borodin Quartet
19 April 2015, Wigmore Hall, London
*************
It bears repeating. Dmitri Shostakovich wrote his Eighth String Quartet in 3 days. While it is based around his musical signature - his initials D S C H written into the score - the quartet treats this material in a wide variety of ways. Its directness of utterance and sombre, strongly personal character make it one of the real impact quartets in the repertoire.
With the Borodin Quartet we were in the safest of hands. This is a group with a historical connection to the composer. The Eighth can get others over-excited. Crucially the Borodin Quartet did not exaggerate the emotion. This very fine quartet's evenness of tone and sound was again evident, as with their appearance in Wimbledon last year. This had a wonderful effect in the rich major harmony of the String Quartet Number 10.
The inexhaustible Beethoven C# Minor Quartet formed the second half. What a pinnacle of quartet writing it is. Almost a meta-quartet, seemingly searching through the possibilities of the four instruments individually and collectively, before coming into focus in the last two of the seven movements. On this night the detached, philosophical approach of the Borodin, together with its harmonious, blended sound made for a richly satisfying conclusion to the evening.
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