The
Albion Quartet
means to suggest that its program here, featuring works of the year 1946 by
William Walton
and
Dmitri Shostakovich
, embodies dramatically different responses to the end of World War II, and indeed, they do form a sharp contrast. The
Walton
work is newly contented, while
Shostakovich
is tense;
even supplied a wartime program for the work, although this may have represented an attempt to placate
Stalin
's minions who wanted representational music. Yet in the hands of the
, commonalities emerge as well. It is worth noting that
called
the greatest composer of the 20th century. In their own ways, both these quartets exploit contrasts between tuneful, seemingly naive materials and contrapuntal intensity. The
String Quartet in A minor
is one of the few 20th century works to draw on
Beethoven
in this regard, and its gorgeous slow movement, reminiscent of those in the late
quartets, is beautifully rendered by the
Albion
here. However, they shift gears effectively for the more violent, abrupt
. Sample the finale, where the components of the constantly shifting musical landscape are held in a dynamic balance. This is an excellent 20th century chamber music release, with a pairing no one has thought of before. ~ James Manheim