Presented by Leo Samama.
Dmitri Shostakovich (1906-1975) – String Quartet No. 12 in D-flat major, Op. 133 (1968)
- Moderato, 2. Allegretto
Performers: Quatuor Danel
CD: Alpha Classics
Dmitri Klebanov (1907-1987) – String Quartet No. 5 (1966)
- Allegro non troppo, 2. Andante, 3. Vivace
Performers: ARC Ensemble
CD: Chandos
It seems no coincidence that Shostakovich’s twelfth quartet, in D-flat major (Op. 133) from 1968, begins with a twelve-tone melody. In the first measures of the first movement (Moderato), the cello plays a twelve-tone row. The twelve-tone chromaticism gives this quartet an extra intensity, full of dark drama. Shostakovich had been sick for some time and would be hospitalized regularly and sometimes for long periods until his death.
Despite the strict regulations of the Soviet leaders regarding the correct way to compose music within the system, Dmitri Klebanov also dared to venture slowly into the territory of more dissonant music in the 1960s. The fruits of this can be found, for example, in his Fifth String Quartet from 1966.
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