Shostakovich: String Quartets Nos. 1 - 13 [Box set]

Dmitri Shostakovich (Composer), Borodin Quartet (Performer) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Performer: Borodin Quartet
• Composer: Dmitri Shostakovich
• Audio CD (May 20, 2003)
• SPARS Code: ADD
• Number of Discs: 4
• 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: Chandos
• ASIN: B00008WQB4
• Also Available in: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #11,236 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

Disc: 1

1. I Moderato

2. II Moderato

3. III Allegro Molto

4. IV Allegro

5. I Allegretto

See all 11 tracks on this disc

Disc: 2

1. I Allegretto

2. II Andantino

3. III Allegretto

4. IV Allegretto

5. I Allegretto Non Troppo

See all 11 tracks on this disc

Disc: 3

1. I Allegretto

2. II Lento

3. III Allegro-Allegretto

4. I Largo

5. II Allegro Molto

See all 20 tracks on this disc

Disc: 4

1. I Overture. Moderato Con Moto

2. II Recitative And Romance. Adagio

3. III Waltz. Allegro

4. IV Theme With Variations. Adagio

5. I Adante

See all 9 tracks on this disc

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

54 of 55 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A very nice partial cycle, December 24, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: Shostakovich: String Quartets Nos. 1 - 13 (Audio CD)

Since there seems to be some confusion as to what these recordings are, let's make a few things clear. This is the Borodin's first stereo go-round of the quartets, recorded for Melodiya in the late 60s and early 70s. It is not the same as the well-known EMI box set which was recorded in the 80s and keeps bouncing in and out of circulation. These performances have never been available on CD before.
Of course the last two quartets didn't exist at the time of these recordings, but they were set down by the slightly reconfigured Borodins soon thereafter and it is too bad those documents have been orphaned as they would have made the most logical compliment to this not quite complete set.
As to the performances themselves, they are classic, comparable to the later EMI versions but heard in a warmer acoustic, which has the effect of making the music seem a little less edgy, too.
One hopes that some of the other masterful cycles of this music by groups such as the Beethoven, Tanayev and Shostakovich Quartets will return to the catalog. The Borodins are great, but not the last or only word on the subject.

23 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A little less of a good thing, October 26, 2003

By 

Starry Vere (Silver Lake OH USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Shostakovich: String Quartets Nos. 1 - 13 (Audio CD)

The Borodin Quartet made their first Shostakovich cycle for Melodiya in 1967-71. Soon after the 14th and 15th quartets were written in 1973 and 74, they were recorded, too, but never integrated into any of the incarnations of this set, last seen in the US on Angel's budget Melodiya/Seraphim label. It is a shame they could not have been included here.

The performances are comparable to the 1980s Melodiya traversal now available on EMI, which is to say they are pretty great though perhaps a shade less intense, an impression abetted by the sound, which is warmer and more spacious than in the later set. But, of course, that one gives you all 15 Quartets and the Piano Quintet with Richter.

23 of 30 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars 5 stars for what is there., March 7, 2004

By 

Howard G Brown "brownswan" (Port St. Lucie, FL USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Shostakovich: String Quartets Nos. 1 - 13 (Audio CD)

This is an excellent transfer of the recordings I remember from the Seraphim set of the 70's -- and more inclusive, since I believe that set stopped at #11.

As suggested in another post, I augmented this set with the Glinka and Beethoven Quartets recordings of #s 14 & 15 on the Praga label -- equally impressive performances; a fine recording.

It is hard to choose between this earlier set, and the later set, which includes all the quartets, plus the Quintet with Richter (and a really lumbering account of the scherzo; it could almost be a 'lost' fragment by Bruckner). Frankly, at this level of musicianship and personal identification with the composer, it might be a matter of shelf space! The BMG box is pretty hefty,
enclosing perhaps seven separate jewel cases. This chandos set, plus the Praga of the last two quartets, and a recording of the quintet take up the space of @ 4 1/2 jewel cases.

Unfortunately, living in a Manhattan appartment does make one think twice about shelf space. But this is a trivial matter; the performance and recording are what really count. All the more reason to appreciate this current, compact issue of excellent recordings.