大象传媒

Fresh from finishing their marathon project to record all Shostakovich's string quartets, the Brodsky Quartet along with pianist Jonathan Plowright make a welcome return to the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland for this performance.

Shostakovich's Quartet No. 11 is closely connected to the grief and loss of a good friend and violinist, Vasili Pyotrovich Shirinsky, who was the second violin in the Beethoven String Quartet. He chose F minor, which is a common key in the baroque era for representing death, and the heart of the quartet is its 6th movement, an Elegy on the loss of his friend, followed by a certain calm acceptance in the Finale.

The intense, lyrical and playful Piano Quintet is one of Shostakovich's most popular and best known chamber works. It was received with such wild enthusiasm at its premiere that it was awarded the prestigious Stalin prize - a sure sign that he had regained Stalin's approval since his political denunciation by the Communist Party. It divides into three parts; the prelude and fugue, a homage in part to JS Bach, one of his musical heroes; a central and joyful Scherzo in brilliant Mendelssohnian style and the highly melodic Intermezzo and Finale.

Shostakovich - Quartet No.11 in F minor

Shostakovich - Piano Quintet in G minor

Brodsky Quartet
Jonathan Plowright, piano.