Shostakovich String Quartets 13, 14
The Brodsky Quartet play the Complete Shostakovich Quartets
This event has passed.
A rare and exhilarating opportunity to hear all of Shostakovich’s incredible string quartets in one weekend. Or pace yourself and pick one or two that take your fancy. Tickets are available per concert, per day or for the weekend.
In his Thirteenth Quartet (1970) Shostakovich uses the very particular timbre of the viola to portray a truly tortured soul, dedicating the work to Vadim Borisovsky, the former violist of the Beethoven String Quartet. The music, though sonorous, is desolate and never far from the edge.
Written for the cellist Sergey Shirinsky, the Fourteenth Quartet (1973), though undoubtedly generous and full of love in places, possesses a character that remains for me the most elusive to pin down.
Start time
2pm
The Brodsky Quartet
Now in their sixth decade as an ensemble, the Brodsky Quartet are among the most beloved interpreters of Shostakovich, a creative relationship that goes back to 1972, the year they formed.
They invite you to join them in celebrating the most magical and intimate journey in all music. Come and revel in the personal diaries of one of the world’s greatest ever musicians. Initially inspired by life – the birth of his son – and finishing with our collective demise, these masterpieces address family, friends, enemies and lovers; with every conceivable emotion explored. We promise you a rollercoaster. Take the ride!
