01. String Quartet No. 1 in C major, Op. 49 1. Moderato
02. String Quartet No. 1 in C major, Op. 49 2. Moderato
03. String Quartet No. 1 in C major, Op. 49 3. Allegro molto
04. String Quartet No. 1 in C major, Op. 49 4. Allegro
05. String Quartet No. 8 in C minor, Op. 110 1. Largo
06. String Quartet No. 8 in C minor, Op. 110 2. Allegro molto
07. String Quartet No. 8 in C minor, Op. 110 3. Allegretto
08. String Quartet No. 8 in C minor, Op. 110 4. Largo
09. String Quartet No. 8 in C minor, Op. 110 5. Largo
10. String Quartet No. 14 in F-Sharp Major, Op. 142 1. Allegretto
11. String Quartet No. 14 in F-Sharp Major, Op. 142 2. Adagio
12. String Quartet No. 14 in F-Sharp Major, Op. 142 3. Allegretto
13. Two Pieces for String Quartet, Op. 36a 1. Elegy
14. Two Pieces for String Quartet, Op. 36a 2. Polka
The original Borodin Quartet was founded in 1945 in the Soviet Union and this release marks the Quartet’s 70th anniversary. They enjoyed a close relationship with Shostakovich, and often worked with him as a new quartet was written (and they also recorded the cycle).
Now, a new line-up, though still one that bears the characteristic Borodin sound (large, almost symphonic in scope and with a very distinctive way of phrasing), starts a new cycle with works from very different periods in Shostakovich’s music life