Shostakovich
string quartet performances tend to fall into the emotionally intense Russian category and the cooler, more technically oriented English (and German) group. Here, the
Carducci Quartet
, playing the
String Quartet No. 9 in E flat major, Op. 117
, and the
String Quartet No. 15 in E flat minor, Op. 144
, definitely falls into the latter, but even those who prefer their
in the Russian vein should give this release a listen. The
String Quartet No. 15
is, after all, the work of which
said (of the first movement) that it should be played "so that flies drop dead in midair and the audience start leaving the hall from sheer boredom." The formulation could apply to any of the six movements, whose titles may suggest lighter moods but that are almost unrelievedly grim. Sample the excruciating Epilogue finale, which conductor
Kurt Sanderling
suggested might have been
's epitaph for himself. With the tensely sustained notes from the
, it takes on an agonizing quality without extra emoting from the players and one imagines that
would have esteemed the performance highly. The earlier
String Quartet No. 9
is a bit less effective; it is cleanly played, but the swing from sarcasm to gloom is muted. Nevertheless, there are listeners for whom this, too, will be just the ticket, and
Signum Classics
adds fine sound from Cedars Hall at the Wells Cathedral School to the mix. ~ James Manheim