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95 of 98 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
affordable and good., February 9, 2004
This review is from: Shostakovich: The String Quartets (Audio CD)
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.
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46 of 47 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Fantastic Set, March 3, 2005
This review is from: Shostakovich: The String Quartets (Audio CD)
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.
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32 of 34 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A triumph of creativity over censorship, January 21, 2006
This review is from: Shostakovich: The String Quartets (Audio CD)
It is extremely difficult for a westerner, living in today's modern democracies, to have the full grasp of the extent of censorship and control of the Stalinist regime. During most of his creative life, Shostakovich was under surveillance, and some of his works were publicly censored by the self-intitled followers of the "Socialist Realism". The tension of censorship is reflected in his body of symphonies. The uneveness and limitations of some of his symphonies are a reflection of his limitations under Stalin. His string quartets, however, are mostly free from these limitations. For one, it is extremely difficult to establish what is "socialist realism" in a string quartet. Since Shostakovich was not a follower of serialism, he could afford to translate into the string quartet medium most of his tortured inner self. These quartets are filled with humanism. They are not easy listening in the sense of Hadyn and Mozart. They are rather deep, touching pieces, like the late Beethoven, Schummann, or Bartok. These recordings by the Fitzwilliam Quartet have an immense authority at a reasonable price. Lovers of string quartet cannot afford to be without the entire Shostakovich set, and anynone buying this collection will enjoy a lifetime of rewarding listening.
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