Chilingirian String Quartet - Russian String Quartets: Stravinsky, Schnittke, Roslavets, Smirnov, Firsova (1995)

Not for the casual listener but for those who love the string quartets of Shostakovich and are looking for more, this re-release of the Chilingirian Quartet's 1994 recording of twentieth century Russian string quartets will be embraced with open arms. The Chilingirian plays with immense conviction plus total technical control and the performances are consistently completely convincing. And considering that most of the music on this disc is nearly unknown to most listeners -- even those who love Shostakovich's quartets -- this quality is especially wonderful. In the nearly unknown string quartet music of Igor Stravinsky, the Chilingirian's performances are vigorous, rigorous, and bracing. In Alfred Schnittke's rarely recorded Canon in Memory of Stravinsky, the performance is intense, concentrated, and agonized. In Nikolai Roslavets' nearly unknown Quartet No. 3, the performance is anguished, exalted, and ecstatic. In Dmitri Smirnov's nearly unknown outside of Russia Quartet No. 2, the performance is sweet, consoling, and beatific. In Elena Firsova's almost unknown outside of Russia Quartet No. 4 subtitled "Amoroso," the performance is unbearably, overwhelmingly, and orgasmically passionate. It's a terrific program and the Chilingirian Quartet brilliantly pulls it off. Catalyst's sound is very close and personal.