Track Listing

Disc 1:

1. I. Allegretto
2. II. Moderato con moto
3. III. Allegro non troppo
4. IV. Adagio -
5. V. Moderato - Adagio
6. I. Allegretto
7. II. Andantino
8. III. Allegretto -

Disc 2:

1. I. Allegro non troppo
2. II. Andante
3. III. Moderato - Allegretto - Andante
4. I. Allegretto
5. II. Moderato con moto
6. III. Lento -
7. IV. Allegretto
8. I. Allegretto
9. II. Lento
10. III. Allegro - Allegretto

Disc 3:

1. I. Largo
2. II. Allegro molto
3. III. Allegretto
4. IV. Largo
5. V. Largo
6. I. Moderato con moto -
7. II. Adagio -
8. III. Allegretto -
9. IV. Adagio -
10. V. Allegro
11. I. Andante
12. II. Allegretto furioso
13. III. Adagio -
14. IV. Allegretto - Andante

Disc 4:

1. I. Introduction: Andantino -
2. II. Scherzo. Allegretto -
3. III. Recitative. Adagio -
4. IV. Etude. Allegro -
5. V. Humoresque. Allegro -
6. VI. Elegy. Adagio -
7. VII. Finale. Moderato
8. I. Moderato - Allegretto
9. II. Allegretto - Adagio - Moderato - Allegretto
10. Adagio - Doppio movimento - Tempo primo

Disc 5:

1. I. Allegretto
2. II. Adagio -
3. III. Allegretto - Adagio
4. I. Elegy. Adagio
5. II. Serenade. Adagio
6. III. Intermezzo. Adagio
7. IV. Nocturne. Adagio
8. V. Funeral march. Adagio molto
9. VI. Epilogue

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #50035 in Music
• Released on: 1998-02-10
• Number of discs: 6
• Format: Box set

Amazon.com
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. Their technique is flawless, their immersion in the music total, their interaction with one another and with the music spontaneous and intense. Priced competitively with the Borodin Quartet, they do not have any added attraction to match the Piano Quintet in that set, but this close-up stereo recording is significantly better. Highlights of the set include the relaxed, folk-flavored No. 1; the tense, autobiographical No. 8, which recalls the terrors of World War II, quotes a lot of Shostakovich's earlier works, and mourns for the "victims of fascism and war"; the contrasts of quiet beauty and fierce intensity in No. 10; and the bold structure of No. 15, Shostakovich's last quartet, in which he looks at death, steadily and without blinking. --Joe McLellan

Customer Reviews

affordable and good.
With the Borodin cycles and the Emerson cycle out on CD this very good set tends to get overlooked. There are a lot of things I like about this set better than either the Borodin or Emerson set.

I prefer this set to the Borodin set because the engineering is more satisfying. You get a more intimate sound with this set. For those who are curious, the other selling point is that Fitzwilliam gave the Western premiere of the Fifteenth quartet and were one of the last groups to work with the composer before his death. And while the sound isn't as crisp as what you'll find on the Emerson set I prefer their handling of the large-scale structure and emotional content of the 3rd and 7th quartets (not that this is anything other than personal preference).

But the most pragmatic reason was price. I got this set when I could only afford one and this was the only one I could afford. Only after listening to it a lot and researching the history of the quartet did I learn they had worked with the composer. If you can only afford one box set of Shostakovich and have a tight budget this is the one you want.

A Fantastic Set
I considered buying the complete String Quartets of Shostakovich for some time, unable to decide if the Emerson or Borodin (minus the 14th and 15th) would be the one I wanted. The playing of the Emerson was certainly in their favor but I settled on the Fitzwilliam String Quartet after reading a review of this set. The Fitzwilliam may not play as well as the Emerson or have the Russian advantage of the Borodin but they have captured the emotion behind the music as no other quartet. The Fitzwilliam also worked with Shostakovich and were given the honor of the Western premiere of the 15th Quartet, so there is an element of authority to their playing. Throughout the set, I was impressed with the playing and depths of feeling expressed.

The quartets appear in composition order on the 6 discs allowing the listener to follow how Shostakovich developed the form. Each CD is in a paper envelop inside a box. The accompanying booklet described each quartet and provides insight into their composition. The recordings are clear and nicely balanced, perhaps not as refined as the sound of the Emerson but certainly excellent. I knew only three of the quartets well before I got this set, and I recommend taking the plunge and buying all of the quartets if possible. In sum, this is a rewarding complete set that will be of interest to the listener who wants to follow Shostakovich's development of the string quartet.

mollifying the 20th century
To those of you like me, bred off the strictly diatonic classical and romantic periods, when melody and counterpoint were fitted nicely within keys, the twentieth century can be a frightening place. I have a hard time making sense of atonal music (much of Bartok's quartets, for example). But Shostakovich's quartets make sense to me, even though he sometimes wanders through the chromatic scales and forsakes a set key. This package is a wonderful offer, and a good introduction to the composer's later work. They are quite different from his early symphonies. Much of the music is so emotive its palpable, and the emotions range from burlesque, to grotesque, to deeply wounded and plaintive. I love the largo from quartet six, a surprisingly diatonic and elated quartet in comparison with the others.
When you get this set, wander off by yourself for a day and listen to each quartet. I can't guarantee you'll like them all, but I hope you have the sense to appreciate these for what they are.

I can't compare this to the Emerson quartet's package, as I have not heard it, but the sound here is crisp. I certainly can't tell that it's twenty-years old.