# Looking for a nice Shostakovich String Quartet cycle



## Vic

Hi there!

I am new on this site and am very impressed - so many people interested in classical music, I can't believe it! 
I hope this hasn't been asked too often recently, but which Shostakovich string quartet cycle do you recommend?
I have heard good things about Boroding Quartet, Fitzwilliam Quartet and Emerson, but can't make up my mind as the clips on amazon are so short.
Thanks!


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## haydnguy

I have the Borodin set and it's excellent.


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## Vic

That sounded like my favourite from the descriptions, but I couldn't listen to it. May I ask how you find the sound quality?


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## World Violist

Technically speaking, the only "nice" Shosty SQ cycles are bad ones. 

I also have recently seriously considered purchasing a Shostakovich string quartet cycle. I've read that the Borodins are practically definitive; the Emersons apparently too "clean," the Fitswilliams' a little too "stodgy" etc. So I'm going to get the Borodin cycle on Melodiya and pray I'll like it (though 11 unanimous five-star Amazon reviews seems to indicate that I would...).


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## nickgray

My personal favorite is Emerson - the playing is superb, excellent sound quality and very nice interpretation. Borodin and Fitzwilliam are too excellent, and several interpretations are somewhat better than Emerson, though quality-wise they're inferior, and personally I enjoy Emerson's playing more. Still, there aren't any "definitive" cycle, those 3 are the best, so it's really more a matter of taste than anything else.

edit: oh, and there are 2 Borodin cycles: one with the "new" players, the other is the old one (got released on Chandos)


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## Vic

Nickgrey, When you say Emerson is this the one with the picture of shostokovich on it or the one which is quite a plain cover (some red and blue)?
There is a massive prize difference on amazon uk, one being over £55, the other around £20.
Thanks for all your input by the way!!!


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## nickgray

Red/black is a re-release, the one with Shostakovich's picture is an original. Obviously, get the one that's cheaper, since it's the same set.


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## Luke

Hello
The Borodin Qt is excellent, of course. But I like the Rubio Qt too. They recorded the whole sets of quartets for Brilliant Classics, in four live recording sessions. Very nice playing, well recorded, at a super bargain price.


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## Taneyev

Some of the best recordings IMO are those of the old Russian Beethoven SQ. But I think they did'n the complete set.


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## haydnguy

World Violist said:


> Technically speaking, the only "nice" Shosty SQ cycles are bad ones.
> 
> I also have recently seriously considered purchasing a Shostakovich string quartet cycle. I've read that the Borodins are practically definitive; the Emersons apparently too "clean," the Fitswilliams' a little too "stodgy" etc. So I'm going to get the Borodin cycle on Melodiya and pray I'll like it (though 11 unanimous five-star Amazon reviews seems to indicate that I would...).


You'll like it W.V. (Sorry I wasn't back on the thread sooner.)


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## World Violist

nickgray said:


> edit: oh, and there are 2 Borodin cycles: one with the "new" players, the other is the old one (got released on Chandos)


There are differences between the two, most notably the lack of 14 and 15 on the Chandos release as they had not yet been written. Also, in the "new" Melodiya release, there's the piano quintet (the pianist's name escapes me) and a couple of octet movements.


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## Head_case

Personally, the Borodin Quartet version (the complete cycle, not the earlier one) reallly annoys me. You can hear some of the 'live' recordings with a Russian 'flu pandemic in the background of the chamber recording. At one stage, a woman with a whooping cough really rockets the second viola and demolishes the string quartet. 

Never heard the first cycle (Qts I-XIII) since it was out of print when I bought the complete Borodin Cycle. Theirs is generally excellent, however not definitive. 

Of the older cycles, the Beethoven Quartet who premiered Shosty's quartets I-XIV are definitive however the 1960's recording is a bit thin if not shrill. As ever, the playing is authoritative and unrivalled however whether a modern listener can hack the recording artifacts is another issue....

The Taneyev Quartet cycle from the 1970's is highly impressive for its recording quality: they premiered the Quartet XV after the death of the Beethoven Quartet's cellist and had intimate instruction from Shosty himself. Their cycle is better known in the former USSR than it is in the West. It has been re-released through a small Korean label for audiophiles and is really reallly worthwhile digging out if you want an alternative to the respiratory disease inflected Borodin version. Don't get me wrong - the Borodins' do a great job, but their version of Shosty is very different from the Taneyev, who are more deft and icily spooky when required. Their sonority is not as refined as the Borodin's, although on balance, I prefer the emotional edge of the Taneyevs. 

Their pupils, (of Ovcharek, from the Taneyev), the St Petersburg Quartet are probably the best of the modern DDD recordings and have won numerous rave reviews for their cycle. You can get a great deal on the box set too; mine cost less than either of the above.

I had the Fitzwilliam and the Emerson cycle but got rid of both in favour of the 3 Russian quartet recordings above. Generally, it takes a Russian to known a Russian composer. The same is not true for French composers or German ones  

The Taneyev Quartet version is the hardest to find but most worthwhile. I like all 3 versions of the Shosty cycles, but that's a bit extravagant I guess. I could've been listening to other MOR music instead of just the same cycle for the cost of those 3 versions of the same cycle


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## Art Rock

The Borodin.

Although the Eder Quartet on Naxos are well worth considering at budget price.


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## Head_case

The Eder Quartet version is a great introduction to Shosty's string quartet cycle for those who_ don't_ like Shostakovich.

It has very thin airy feel about the playing, with less emotion.


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## Jeremy Marchant

Head_case said:


> Never heard the first cycle [of the Borodin Quartet] (Qts I-XIII) since it was out of print when I bought the complete Borodin Cycle. Theirs is generally excellent, however not definitive.


I bought it on vinyl at the time and it has stood the test of time.

I doubt that 'definitive' is a useful adjective. I do think the Fitzwilliam (Decca) are not definitive, however!


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## Head_case

Wow - you're fortunate your vinyl, not just the Borodin interpretation, has stood the test of time 

The Fitzwilliam String Cycle were truly indeed, never definitive, except for those afficienados of the Fitzwilliam Quartet! This was the first version I heard, and when I bought the Borodin Cycle, I was stunned at the insights of the Russians over the Americans 

You might not be aware of Jonathan Woolf's excellent review of the Taneyev String Quartet Cycle of Shostakovich's Quartets:

http://www.musicweb-international.com/classrev/2005/june05/Shostakovich_Quartets_AMC20551.htm

My only beef with Jonathan is that he seems to bring in the Shostakovich Quartet; just about every other modern 1990s onwards version has better insights than that group, although I guess their frolicking lightweight rendition did much to bring Shostakovich to an audience who otherwise would have never bothered to listen to him.

Well, you're probably right: an incomplete Borodin Cycle is not definitive; a complete (with live version) of a second quartet line-up (with Kopelman) is not definitive either. The Taneyev Quartet, having premiered the last of Shostakovich's String Quartets, have an authority - that of defining the very premier performance of the last and important XVth Shostakovich String Quartet. The Beethoven Quartet whose definitive strike at recording the complete string cycle, failed at the last hurdle too. Their recording quality like rubbing sand paper...makes it less definitive than their definitive playing, but still incomplete compared to the definitive cycle of the Taneyev String Quartet's complete cycle


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## Head_case

Here's an interesting resource compiled earnestly - thanks go to the incredible efforts of the geeks who've graced us with such info:

http://www.envi.osakafu-u.ac.jp/develp/staff/kudo/dsch/work-e.html

For example - if you're looking for a recommendable interpretation of Shostakovich's Quartet No. XV - look down the list:

http://www.envi.osakafu-u.ac.jp/develp/staff/kudo/dsch/work/sq15e.html

and you will see the available recordings (a little dated, but still very recent).

When you survey the complete Shostakovich String Quartet Cycle - three eminent quartet readings stand out:

1. The Beethoven String Quartet (Incomplete Melodiya, or later Complete version on Doremi Recordings)
2. The Borodin String Quartet (2 versions)
3.The Taneyev Quartet

The collators of the website references have a distinctly 'romantic' reading bias and prefer the Borodins: it is true that the Borodins did more to popularise the Shostakovich String Quartet Cycle in the west (outside of Russia) and the east than the Beethoven Quartet, who were trapped in the mono era in their early recordings, or the Taneyev, who rarely ever ventured out of the USSR. The Borodin I cycle (better version on Chandos = incomplete) is on a par with the Beethoven Quartet's own incomplete cycle although unlike the Beethoven Cycle, the recording quality is strained in the early quartets but improves.

This is one reason why the hard to find Aulos recording by the Taneyev is the only epic and authoritative/definitve cycle from Shostakovich's own era. Look at how consistently the Taneyev/Borodins rate against the whole 15 string quartets. There are individual interesting ones by various quartets, although the Taneyev are the most spooky and haunting on the field; the Borodins are sweet and romantic, a bit like their later Danel Quatuor or Eder Quartet groups.

The modern recordings of Shostakovich seem to be more divisive when it comes to collating opinion: only the St Petersburg Quartet comes close to these 3 historical giants although have some significant shortcomings still....


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## jurianbai

wow, that's amazing geeks we have! btw, he seem missing out the Mandelring cycle : http://www.mandelringquartett.de/pages_en/diskografie_en.html

The St petersburg version is the one I got.


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## Quartetfore

I own some of the St. Petersburg recordings, and do enjoy them.


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## Head_case

Yeah - the St Petersburg Quartet are due for some more releases. What mortifies me is that they seem to be doing Russian lite music instead of serious hardcore 21st century repertoire


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## Quartetfore

I think that it is a case of what sells.


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## elgar's ghost

I've got the cycle by the Shostakovich Quartet on Olympia (since reissued on a budget label - which one I can't remember). No-one has mentioned these yet - erm...they aren't that bad, are they?!


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## Head_case

Yes. ...the Olympia set of the Shostakovich Quartet playing the complete Shostakovich String Quartet Cycle was recorded in the 1970s I think. Generally their recordings were serviceable. The playing however was very loose ... if not rather off the way. Their approach, was very different from the authoritative Beethoven Quartet, or the fierce Taneyev Quartet versions and caused a stir in the first year it was out. 

I don't consider that the Shostakovich Quartet has ever stood the test of time. By the 1990's, their cycle was decidedly dated; superceded by the Fitzwilliam Quartet fanaticism and all things American. Their recordings were competent; the playing wasn't bad, and their mid-price range was the main selling point. Re-releasing them on a budget label makes good sense, since they offered a slice of Soviet style playing at a budget. They are probably on a par with the Brodsky Quartet Cycle (which although better recorded, the playing is so non-quartet like). 

Incidentally, the Shostakovich Quartet were responsible for the a huge number of Soviet works, which otherwise would never have been available for decades. They did some splendid versions of the Glazunov Quartets (especially 'The Slavonic'); and early Russian Quartets by Glinka etc. They were never an ensemble in the same league as the Beethoven Quartet or the Taneyev Quartet, being competent and diverse, rather than scholarly and injected with passion but ironically, became better known in western Europe thanks to Olympia, until Olympia's demise.


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## jurianbai

so far I can say quartet no.4 and no.11 stands out of memory. the no.11 is weird piece, short movement Etudes is quite entertaining. no.4 is 'normal' quartet that I wish Shostakovich do more.

I really still can't say some appreciation about Shosta quartets, need to read more about the background story of each quartet. I remember seeing Fitzwilliam set that have a comprehensive booklet telling notes on each quartet, maybe I should get the set.


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## Head_case

The winding sirenesque entry of Quartet No. IV is very Soviet isn't it? 

I think you'd love the six Salmanov String Quartets, written in around the same Soviet era. I haven't
got the complete cycle, but 4 out of 6 which I do have are just opulently Soviet and lyrical modern in style.

I thought you would like the ferocity of the Shostakovich Quartet No. VIII (second movement). My guess is that you are going to really not like Moshei Weinberg (Vainberg)! I do like him actually, but his work is not as charged and accessible as Shostakovich's No.IV. 

The Fitzwilliam Quartet set is one of the first sets I heard in college. I really think the Borodin Quartet (version I on Melodiya - missing the last few quartets) is a better set to start with, or even the Borodin (version II on EMI - complete) is the more accessible one to start with. Shostakovich, like Myaskovsky, is best started out of sequence too. I go a bit over the top and I really like listening to parallel versions of string quartet No. VIII by different string quartet groups. So I have a mini-disc with just different versions of the Shostakovich string quartet No. VIII. The emotional character of the different quartets really make it seem like a completely different piece at times.


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## jurianbai

yap, I very remember the 8th quartet and that 2nd movement, in fact maybe the VIII is the Shosta I most listen to. For its horror movie theme ...






Then the 3rd Quartet is also very accessible, open with a nice waltzing melody.


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## Guest

For me, the Borodins are hard to beat. For those who prefer SACD, I have read good reviews about the Mandelring Quartet. The samples that I heard suggest a slightly less intense approach than that of the Borodin.


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## Vaneyes

The high-value pak with Borodin Qt.










Or, the full monty with Fitzwilliam Qt.


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## Head_case

I've had both of those versions. They're certainly not bad value.

This is the Shostakovich string quartet cycle which stands out head and shoulders for me:

http://www.musicweb-international.com/classRev/2005/June05/Shostakovich_Quartets_AMC20551.htm










Bargain bucket it isn't. Nor is it easy to find. If and when you do find it, it won't be cheap. You can probably buy 15 other cheap Shostakovich fries with it, but this is worth scouring the planet for if you're a real Shostakovich string quartet lover.


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## HarpsichordConcerto

Member Head_case seems to be a big connoisseur of Shostakovich's SQ.

I'm not the biggest Shostakovich fan on the planet. I settled for the cheapy version of the complete set played by the Eder Quartet (Naxos). They do fine for me. I bought them all in one hit, when they went on for sale a little while ago. (I liked the art work on the CD covers  )


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## HarpsichordConcerto




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## robert

I have many versions of his sq's.. I recommend .

Borodin (original group 1 - 13) 14 - 15 separate on emi 

Shostakovich S.Q. (very Russian sounding)

Eder Great bang for the buck.....

Robert


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## Guest

I went ahead and bought the Mandelring's version in SACD format. The samples didn't really do them justice--they are plenty intense! Perhaps their richer tone gives the impression of less vehemence. I suppose it's hard to beat the Borodin Qt. for their "Russianness", but the Mandelring Qt. is a fine alternative with superior sound.


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## Moscow-Mahler

I have only a recording with *Hagen Quartet* yet. It's not a complete cycle, only 3d,7th and 8th -but I like it, esp. the Third.


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## Quartetfore

The Hagen Quartet recorded the 4th, 11th and 14th for DGG back in 1992. Its now available on an independent label the name of which sorry to say I forgot. I also own the recording that you own, and like it very much. There is a fine set of the complete Shostakovich quartets by the St. Petersburg Quartet on the Hyperion label.


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## TxllxT

Borodin for letting Shostakovich speak himself, Mandelring for letting my own windows rattle, Fitzwilliam for letting the windows of the neighbours rattle too. The Borodin Quartet (EMI) is fine on not such a high played volume.


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## GKC

I am just learning these. It's pretty exciting to think about listening to a "new" 15 string qt. cycle (I've got Beethoven and Haydn under my belt ;-)). I bought one of the Mandelring's; the one with no. 8. I am disappointed with their sound and playing (I don't mean the SACD recorded sound; it's terrific); I don't hear much emotion and mystery. I put on no. 8 by the Prazak Qt. on Praga label and it was so much better. 

Has anybody heard the Jerusalem Qt. Shost. cycle? (on-going? on Hyperion, I think)

GKC


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## Rangstrom

I have to early Borodin and the Fitzwilliam sets on LP and the Emerson on CD (along with individual disks of 3 or 4 other cycles) and so far I prefer the Emerson. I don't want the quartets to sound like reductions of the symphonies (some of which are too neurotic for my tastes) so I appreciate the clean and precise playing the Emerson set features. My favorite quartets are 7, 11 and 15.


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## robert

Rangstrom said:


> I have to early Borodin and the Fitzwilliam sets on LP and the Emerson on CD (along with individual disks of 3 or 4 other cycles) and so far I prefer the Emerson. I don't want the quartets to sound like reductions of the symphonies (some of which are too neurotic for my tastes) so I appreciate the clean and precise playing the Emerson set features. My favorite quartets are 7, 11 and 15.


I am working my way through the Sorrel Quartet series. I am really liking them....I prefer their playing to the Emerson's......


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## teej

I highly recommend the Eder quartet. Beautifully played with great confidence. Excellent quality recordings too. (Naxos).


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## Head_case

Not that I log in here enough anymore (sorry - busy lifestyle :/) - but the singular cycle which has stood out head and shoulders for me since this thread started ... remains the elusive and hard to find complete Taneyev Quartet Cycle.



Head_case said:


> Personally, the Borodin Quartet version (the complete cycle, not the earlier one) reallly annoys me. You can hear some of the 'live' recordings with a Russian 'flu pandemic in the background of the chamber recording. At one stage, a woman with a whooping cough really rockets the second viola and demolishes the string quartet.


This year, I really can't stand the Borodin Quartet (version II line up) - I'd recommend newcomers avoid it. The Eder Quartet are indeed worthy of giving them a good run for their money. The Borodin Quartet (version I line up) remains excellent).



> Of the older cycles, the Beethoven Quartet who premiered Shosty's quartets I-XIV are definitive however the 1960's recording is a bit thin if not shrill. As ever, the playing is authoritative and unrivalled however whether a modern listener can hack the recording artifacts is another issue....


This one is definitely for hardcore fans rather than newcomers. The sound is very lacking by 1970s'-present standard unfortunately.



> The Taneyev Quartet cycle from the 1970's is highly impressive for its recording quality: they premiered the Quartet XV after the death of the Beethoven Quartet's cellist and had intimate instruction from Shosty himself. Their cycle is better known in the former USSR than it is in the West. It has been re-released through a small Korean label for audiophiles and is really reallly worthwhile digging out if you want an alternative to the respiratory disease inflected Borodin version. Don't get me wrong - the Borodins' do a great job, but their version of Shosty is very different from the Taneyev, who are more deft and icily spooky when required. Their sonority is not as refined as the Borodin's, although on balance, I prefer the emotional edge of the Taneyevs.


Yep. And it is re-released in single discs (quite expensive though):










Their haunting interpretations are just superlative - nothing from the recent cycles have matched this emotional intensity for me. 
The extreme emotional ice of the Taneyev Quartet makes the extra search for that complete set really worthwhile. A friend heard this version for the first time and just marvelled at the soundscape they produced (from my hi-fi  ). The complete set is really tricky and hard to find - it is still in recent print by the Aulos Record Label (South Korea licencing from Melodiya. Miss this set ... and you've missed a complete stratum of Shostakovich' string cycle.



> Their pupils, (of Ovcharek, from the Taneyev), the St Petersburg Quartet are probably the best of the modern DDD recordings and have won numerous rave reviews for their cycle. You can get a great deal on the box set too; mine cost less than either of the above.


I'm not sure where I feel about this cycle now. I've barely listened to them this year - it's good, but maybe .... too refined. Too clinically safe, and not wild and spie-chilling enough. Far less exciting than when I first heard them. Compared to the French Danel Quatuor's interpretations - and I felt the Danel Quatuor may be just as good, and either are great places to start with a Shostakovich String Cycle.

Re: single volumes: yes the Hagen disc(s) is lovely - seems like individual interpreters can and do turn out some beautiful renditions. I'm not so impressed with a recent British quartet who tried to start their Shostakovich Cycle ... and it sounded as awful as the Brodsky Quartet, who should go down as offering the worse possible version of Shostakovich's String Cycle in my books.


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