Shostakovich: Complete String Quartets, Vol. 3, Nos. 13-15 Cuarteto Casals

• Dmitri Shostakovich (1906 - 1975): String Quartet No. 13 in B-Flat Minor, Op. 138:
• 1 Shostakovich: String Quartet No. 13 in B-Flat Minor, Op. 138: I. Adagio - Doppio movimento - Tempo primo 19:32
• String Quartet No. 14 in F-Sharp Major, Op. 142:
• 2 Shostakovich: String Quartet No. 14 in F-Sharp Major, Op. 142: I. Allegretto 08:29
• 3 Shostakovich: String Quartet No. 14 in F-Sharp Major, Op. 142: II. Adagio 09:55
• 4 Shostakovich: String Quartet No. 14 in F-Sharp Major, Op. 142: III. Allegretto 08:32
• String Quartet No. 15 in E-Flat Minor, Op. 144:
• 5 Shostakovich: String Quartet No. 15 in E-Flat Minor, Op. 144: I. Elegy. Adagio 11:43
• 6 Shostakovich: String Quartet No. 15 in E-Flat Minor, Op. 144: II. Serenade. Adagio 05:39
• 7 Shostakovich: String Quartet No. 15 in E-Flat Minor, Op. 144: III. Intermezzo. Adagio 01:45
• 8 Shostakovich: String Quartet No. 15 in E-Flat Minor, Op. 144: IV. Nocturne. Adagio 04:20
• 9 Shostakovich: String Quartet No. 15 in E-Flat Minor, Op. 144: V. Funeral March. Adagio molto 04:53
• 10 Shostakovich: String Quartet No. 15 in E-Flat Minor, Op. 144: VI. Epilogue. Adagio 06:39
• Total Runtime 01:21:27

Info for Shostakovich: Complete String Quartets, Vol. 3, Nos. 13-15

This third and final album of the impressive complete set from the Cuarteto Casals immerses us in the twilight world of Shostakovitch’s last three quartets. Legacy works of the years 1970-74, movingly marked by signs of his illness and acute awareness of approaching death, they strike the ear with their condensed formal daring and raw emotion.

Cuarteto Casals

Cuarteto Casals
A quartet for the new millennium if I ever heard one ” wrote Strad magazine upon hearing Cuarteto Casals for the first time, shortly after its inception in 1997 at the Escuela Reina Sofía in Madrid.

Since winning First Prizes at the London and Brahms-Hamburg competitions, Cuarteto Casals has been a repeated guest at the world’s most prestigious concert halls including Wigmore Hall, Carnegie Hall, Musikverein Vienna, Philharmonie Cologne, Cité de la Musique Paris, Schubertiade in Schwarzenberg, Concertgebouw Amsterdam and the Philharmonie in Berlin, among many others throughout Europe, North America and Japan.

The quartet has compiled a substantial discography with the Harmonia Mundi label, including to date 9 CD’s, with repertoire ranging from lesser known Spanish composers Arriaga and Toldrá to Viennese classics Mozart, Haydn, Schubert and Brahms, through 20th Century greats Bartok, Kurtag and Ligeti. Following its critically acclaimed performances of Schubert's fifteen string quartets last season, Cuarteto Casals will record the cycle live for DVD in at L'Auditori in Barcelona, where it is quartet in residence.

“A sonic signature entirely its own,” raved the New York Times, describing Cuarteto Casals’ distinctive range of expression. A prize from the prestigious Burletti-Buitoni Trust in London enabled the quartet to purchase a matching set of Classical period bows which it uses for works from Purcell through Schubert, refining its ability to distinguish between diverse musical styles. In addition, the quartet has been profoundly influenced by its work with living composers, especially György Kurtag, and has given the world premiere of quartets written by leading Spanish composers.

In recognition of Cuarteto Casals’ unique position as the first Spanish string quartet with a truly international profile, the quartet has been honored with the Premio Nacional de Música as well as the Premi Ciutat Barcelona. The quartet has accompanied the King of Spain on diplomatic visits and performed on the peerless collection of decorated Stradivarius instruments in the Royal Palace in Madrid.

Cuarteto Casals often appears on television and radio throughout Europe and North America and is Quartet in Residence at the Escola Superior de Musica de Catalunya in Barcelona, where all four members reside and teach.

Booklet for Shostakovich: Complete String Quartets, Vol. 3, Nos. 13-15