For a complete set of the string quartets, the best sounding are by the Emerson String Quartet, they either won or were nominated at the Grammys for their set. The Emersons are one of the best if not the best string quartet around, they are Shostakovich experts to boot. I think it was at one of the chamber music festivals, they played all 15 in either one or two days. They play with elan, their bow technique is unique, and their phrasing is original. A true best buy. They are on Deustch Grammophon, also the recordings are excellent, not second rate like most.
Shostakovich...WHOA
An old g/f made a copy of a Shostakovich recording and until this week I’d never gotten around to it. MAN, is this guy giving me nightmares. I don’t know a damn thing about classical music but HOLY CHRISTMAS!
I can’t call up the old g/f to ask (I want to live, I want to live!) so I’m hoping someone can ID this recording and then offer suggestions to similar Shostakovich. I’m looking for brooding, scary, intense, hair-raising chaos…just like what’s-her-name.
The recording I was given has the following handwritten on it: “Kammersinfornie (after) string Quartet #8 & #10.” “1960” is also written on the recording with an arrow from it pointing to “Quartet #8.” The track most indicative of what I like is #2 whatever that is.
What’s this guy’s rep in the classical world, anyway? Maybe the style of this recording isn’t representative of his work.
As an interesting side note…this girl was always giving me really twisted material as witnessed by the title of the last book she gave me: “The Insanity of Normality – Realism as Sickness: Toward Understanding Human Destructiveness.” An army of red flags popped up with that one but I valiantly forged ahead with my little pea shooter anyway (please excuse the disgusting and humiliating metaphor.) I got clobbered.