Dmitri Shostakovich: The String Quartets [Box Set] [Box set]

Dmitry Shostakovich (Composer), Brodsky Quartet (Performer) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Performer: Brodsky Quartet
• Composer: Dmitry Shostakovich
• Audio CD (May 7, 1992)
• Number of Discs: 6
• Format: Box set
• Note on Boxed Sets: During shipping, discs in boxed sets occasionally become dislodged without damage. Please examine and play these discs. If you are not completely satisfied, we'll refund or replace your purchase.
• Label: Elektra / Wea
• ASIN: B000000SDW
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #420,827 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

19 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Best overall set to have, June 17, 2002

By 

Brian F. Smith (Southern California) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Dmitri Shostakovich: The String Quartets [Box Set] (Audio CD)

Buying the Shostakovich quartets can be tricky. Of the four sets I've had, this one by the Brodsky Quartet is the one I've kept, (along with the Borodin cycle) as a reference to these stellar works. The Brodskys play with precision and passion. Tempi choices are spot-on, unlike the Emerson's new recording, which are plain too fast. The acoustic is detailed, yet with appropiate warmth. A great set. I wish I had tried it first before buying the Fitzwilliam and Emerson sets. I could have saved myself a lot of money and frustration. After all is said and done, I'm glad to have it. It's essential music.

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Another dissenter from orthodoxy, November 13, 2003

By 

PH-50-NC "PH-50-NC" (Southeast USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Dmitri Shostakovich: The String Quartets [Box Set] (Audio CD)

This was the first set I picked up; later I got the 2nd Borodin and the Emerson sets. This one is my favorite.

I like this quartet's tempos, which emphasize the drama of the music, and I like the Brodsky's taught rhythmic feel (when the staccatos need to be razor sharp, they are).

The blend of the instruments is also really nice (both in terms of the group's dynamics and in terms of the sound engineering, which adds just enough reverb to the mix). While a Stereophile magazine review called this set "slick," I don't really hear it that way. I would call the playing sometimes stark, often gutsy, with plenty of beauty, humor and sarcasm(where appropriate).

I'm not trying to argue that this set is definitive, or that other well-reviewed sets get it wrong. I like the Fitzwilliam Quartets set almost as much. But I've seen very little mention of this Brodsky set, favorably or otherwise, in Shostakovich-cycle comparisons, and I've gotten a great deal of enjoyment from it. I rarely play my versions by the Borodin and Emerson Quartets.

The price on this set has been all over the map, but currently it can be had from Marketplace sellers for a steal.

2 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Amazing authentic performance!, January 7, 2007

By 

Lucian Manea "Lucian Manea" - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Dmitri Shostakovich: The String Quartets [Box Set] (Audio CD)

Not many recordings of this quality out there. Good CD quality as well...