Three string quartets by Shostakovich

Shostakovich’s fifteen string quartets are a milestone in the repertoire, comparable to Beethoven’s sixteen quartets. The Quatuor Danel has performed and recorded all quartets in their entirety several times – most recently in a live performance that received the 2025 International Classical Music Award in the chamber music category. A period of nearly forty years spans the composition of the First and the Fifteenth String Quartet, the latter dating from 1974. 

The First String Quartet still sounds relatively light-hearted, though not without a touch of sting. The Fifteenth String Quartet, one of his last works, is a haunting in memoriam; five ghostly adagios that showcase Shostakovich’s unique compositional voice in an unparalleled manner. The Eighth String Quartet, dedicated to the victims of fascism, is also an in memoriam, full of personal references to Shostakovich’s own work. The famous fourth movement is a chillingly raw representation of the bombing of Dresden in 1945.