Emerson String Quartet - Shostakovich: The String Quartets [5CD] (2000)

Tracklist

CD1
01. String Quartet No. 1 in C Major, Op. 49: I. Moderato
02. String Quartet No. 1 in C Major, Op. 49: II. Moderato
03. String Quartet No. 1 in C Major, Op. 49: III. Allegro Molto
04. String Quartet No. 1 in C Major, Op. 49: IV. Allegro
05. String Quartet No. 2 in A Major, Op. 68: I. Overture (Moderato Con Moto)
06. String Quartet No. 2 in A Major, Op. 68: II. Recitative & Romance (Adagio)
07. String Quartet No. 2 in A Major, Op. 68: III. Valse (Allegro)
08. String Quartet No. 2 in A Major, Op. 68: IV. Theme & Variations
09. String Quartet No. 3 in F Major, Op. 73: I. Allegretto
10. String Quartet No. 3 in F Major, Op. 73: II. Moderato Con Moto
11. String Quartet No. 3 in F Major, Op. 73: III. Allegro Non Troppo
12. String Quartet No. 3 in F Major, Op. 73: IV. Adagio
13. String Quartet No. 3 in F Major, Op. 73: V. Moderato

CD2
01. String Quartet No. 4 in D Major, Op. 83: I. Allegretto
02. String Quartet No. 4 in D Major, Op. 83: II. Andantino
03. String Quartet No. 4 in D Major, Op. 83: III. Allegretto
04. String Quartet No. 4 in D Major, Op. 83: IV. Allegretto
05. String Quartet No. 5 in B-Flat Major, Op. 92: I. Allegro Non Troppo
06. String Quartet No. 5 in B-Flat Major, Op. 92: II. Andante
07. String Quartet No. 5 in B-Flat Major, Op. 92: III. Moderato
08. String Quartet No. 6 in G Major, Op. 101: I. Allegretto
09. String Quartet No. 6 in G Major, Op. 101: II. Moderato Con Moto
10. String Quartet No. 6 in G Major, Op. 101: III. Lento - Attacca
11. String Quartet No. 6 in G Major, Op. 101: IV. Lento - Allegretto - Andante - Lento

CD3
01. String Quartet No. 7 in F-Sharp Minor, Op. 108: I. Allegretto
02. String Quartet No. 7 in F-Sharp Minor, Op. 108: II. Lento
03. String Quartet No. 7 in F-Sharp Minor, Op. 108: III. Allegro
04. String Quartet No. 8 in C Minor, Op. 110: I. Largo
05. String Quartet No. 8 in C Minor, Op. 110: II. Allegro Molto
06. String Quartet No. 8 in C Minor, Op. 110: III. Allegretto
07. String Quartet No. 8 in C Minor, Op. 110: III. Largo
08. String Quartet No. 8 in C Minor, Op. 110: V. Largo
09. String Quartet No. 9 in E-Flat Major, Op. 117: I. Moderato Con Moto
10. String Quartet No. 9 in E-Flat Major, Op. 117: II. Adagio
11. String Quartet No. 9 in E-Flat Major, Op. 117: III. Allegretto
12. String Quartet No. 9 in E-Flat Major, Op. 117: IV. Adagio
13. String Quartet No. 9 in E-Flat Major, Op. 117: V. Allegro
14. String Quartet No. 10 in A-Flat Major, Op. 118: I. Andante Con Moto
15. String Quartet No. 10 in A-Flat Major, Op. 118: II. Allegretto Furioso
16. String Quartet No. 10 in A-Flat Major, Op. 118: III. Adagio
17. String Quartet No. 10 in A-Flat Major, Op. 118: IV. Allegretto - Andante

CD4
01. Adagio (Elegy) For String Quartet
02. Allegretto (Polka) For String Quartet
03. String Quartet No. 11 in F Minor, Op. 122: I. Introduction: Andantino
04. String Quartet No. 11 in F Minor, Op. 122: II. Scherzo: Allegretto
05. String Quartet No. 11 in F Minor, Op. 122: III. Recitative: Adagio
06. String Quartet No. 11 in F Minor, Op. 122: IV. Etude: Allegro
07. String Quartet No. 11 in F Minor, Op. 122: V. Humoresque: Allegro
08. String Quartet No. 11 in F Minor, Op. 122: VI. Elegy: Adagio
09. String Quartet No. 11 in F Minor, Op. 122: VII. Finale: Moderato
10. String Quartet No. 12 in D-Flat Major, Op. 133: I. Moderato - Allegretto
11. String Quartet No. 12 in D-Flat Major, Op. 133: II. Allegretto - Adagio - Moderato - Allegretto
12. String Quartet No. 13 in B-Flat Minor, Op. 138

CD5
01. String Quartet No. 14 in F-Sharp Major, Op. 142: I. Allegretto
02. String Quartet No. 14 in F-Sharp Major, Op. 142: II. Adagio
03. String Quartet No. 14 in F-Sharp Major, Op. 142: III. Allegretto
04. String Quartet No. 15 in E-Flat Minor, Op. 144: I. Elegy
05. String Quartet No. 15 in E-Flat Minor, Op. 144: II. Serenade
06. String Quartet No. 15 in E-Flat Minor, Op. 144: III. Intermezzo
07. String Quartet No. 15 in E-Flat Minor, Op. 144: IV. Nocturne
08. String Quartet No. 15 in E-Flat Minor, Op. 144: V. Funeral March
09. String Quartet No. 15 in E-Flat Minor, Op. 144: VI. Epilogue


If you like your Shostakovich quartets big, brawny, and a bit brutal, you'll like the Emerson Quartet's Shostakovich quartets. The Allegros are muscular, with sharp attacks, strong sforzandos, and relentless rhythms. The Passacaglias are powerful, with massive sonorities, monumental structures, and inexorable tempos. And the Allegrettos are aggressive, with ironic accents, sarcastic tones, and mordent tempos.
If you like your Shostakovich quartets smooth, suave, and very soulful, you'll probably like the Emerson Quartet's Shostakovich quartets. The Andantes are tuneful, with long lines, supple harmonies, and warm colors. The Adagios are soaring, with arching themes, aching harmonies, and brilliant colors. And the Largos are penetrating, with expressive counterpoint, weighty sonorities, and burnished colors.
If, however, you like your Shostakovich quartets straight, no ice, no chaser, you'll probably not like the Emerson Quartet's Shostakovich quartets. The Emerson seems unable to restrain itself and too often adds too much of itself to the scores. The rawness of the chords in the Fourth Quartet's opening movement? The Emerson's idea. The nostalgia of the tone in the Ninth Quartet's slow movement? The Emerson's notion. The sentimentality of the closing bars in the Fourteenth Quartet's finale? The Emerson's interpolation. For Shostakovich straight, try the Beethoven Quartet. It premiered almost all the quartets and learned their meaning from the composer. For Shostakovich plus, try the Emerson Quartet. DG's live sound is crisp, clean, deep, and detailed with the audience intruding only with energetic applause.

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