Shostakovich: String Quartets Quatuor Debussy

• Dmitri Schostakowitsch (1906–1975): Elegie:
• 1Shostakovich: Elegie: Adagio04:34
• String Quartet No. 11 in F Minor, Op. 122:
• 2Shostakovich: String Quartet No. 11 in F Minor, Op. 122: I. Introduction02:16
• 3Shostakovich: String Quartet No. 11 in F Minor, Op. 122: II. Scherzo02:48
• 4Shostakovich: String Quartet No. 11 in F Minor, Op. 122: III. Recitative01:16
• 5Shostakovich: String Quartet No. 11 in F Minor, Op. 122: IV. Etude01:12
• 6Shostakovich: String Quartet No. 11 in F Minor, Op. 122: V. Humoresque01:04
• 7Shostakovich: String Quartet No. 11 in F Minor, Op. 122: VI. Elegie03:40
• 8Shostakovich: String Quartet No. 11 in F Minor, Op. 122: VII. Final03:42
• String Quartet No. 8 in C Minor, Op. 110:
• 9Shostakovich: String Quartet No. 8 in C Minor, Op. 110: I. Largo04:42
• 10Shostakovich: String Quartet No. 8 in C Minor, Op. 110: II. Allegro molto02:32
• 11Shostakovich: String Quartet No. 8 in C Minor, Op. 110: III. Allegretto04:23
• 12Shostakovich: String Quartet No. 8 in C Minor, Op. 110: IV. Largo05:08
• 13Shostakovich: String Quartet No. 8 in C Minor, Op. 110: V. Largo03:53
• String Quartet No. 5 in B-Flat Major, Op. 92
• 14Shostakovich: String Quartet No. 5 in B-Flat Major, Op. 92: I. Allegro non troppo10:38
• 15Shostakovich: String Quartet No. 5 in B-Flat Major, Op. 92: II. Andante07:57
• 16Shostakovich: String Quartet No. 5 in B-Flat Major, Op. 92: III. Moderato - Allegretto - Andante10:07
• Total Runtime01:09:52

Info for Shostakovich: String Quartets

The Debussy string quartet, French specialist in the Shostakovich quartet’s performance, is continuing the exploration of those master-pieces. With the “Opus” show, created with the Australian contemporary circus company CIRCA, the Debussy String Quartet musicians have taken another look on four of the quartet’s corpus of the Russian master:

Elegy, transcription for string quartet from an aria of his opera Lady Macbeth of the Mtsensk District, Quartet no.11 opus 122 in F minor (1966),
Quartet no.8 opus 110 in C minor (1960),
Quartet no.5 opus 92 in B at major (1952),

leading them to a very intimate knowledge of this music, going as far as performing for the show by heart and even blind-folded. This new recording is then the result of this long work and new appropriation of Shostakovich’s music, displaying, on a single one record, those four pieces of the “Opus” show.

he Debussy String Quartet has built a reputation graced with international acclaim through their many recordings and live performances. Since its creation in 1990, they have enlivened the chamber music world with their stylish and stimulating performances. Based in Lyon and honored as Winners of the Evian International String Quartet Competition, the quartet performs about 120 concerts a year all around the world (Europe, Asia, Australia, North America...). The quartet’s recording schedule has included the release of more than 25 CDs in 25 years with works ranging from French Music (recently, around Debussy and Caplet which enriches its collection composed of Bonnal, Ravel, Fauré, Witkowski or Lekeu) to Weber or Shostakovich with the complete string quartets recorded by Arion. The Debussy string quartet, French specialist in the Shostakovich quartet’s performance, is continuing the exploration of those master-­‐pieces. With the “Opus” show, created with the Australian contemporary circus company CIRCA, the Debussy String Quartet musicians have taken another look on four of the quartet’s corpus of the Russian master: ⁃ Elegy, transcription for string quartet from an aria of his opera Lady Macbeth of the Mtsensk District, ⁃ Quartet no.11 opus 122 in F minor (1966), ⁃ Quartet no.8 opus 110 in C minor (1960), ⁃ Quartet no.5 opus 92 in B flat major (1952), leading them to a very intimate knowledge of this music, going as far as performing for the show by heart and even blind-­‐folded. This new recording is then the result of this long work and new appropriation of Shostakovich’s music, displaying, on a single one record, those four pieces of the “Opus”show.

Le Quatuor Debussy

The Debussy Quartet
Through its passionate commitment to speak in a unique voice, eschewing the creation of an international quartet sound, the Debussy Quartet has established its reputation as one of the finest quartets touring and recording today. Formed in 1990 by a group of young musicians studying at the Conservatoire de Lyon, France, the quartet has gained international renown for its exciting performances and award-winning recordings. In major concert halls from New York to Tokyo they perform a wide range of works, and are perhaps most well known for their devotion to the French repertoire. The quartet’s performances of the Ravel, Debussy and Fauré quartets are legendary, and these four musicians continue to create new audiences for works of their countrymen such as Lalo, Lekeu, Milhaud and the late romantic composer Ermand Bonnal.

Winners of the Evian International String Quartet Competition, the Debussy Quartet performs about 80 concerts a year in Europe, Asia, and North America. They are regular guests at distinguished concert halls (Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, Auditorio Nacional de Musica in Madrid, Grand Theatre in Geneva, Konzerthaus in Berlin, Théâtre du Châtelet, Musée du Louvre in Paris) and are also heard at many of Europe’s finest festivals.

In addition to mixed chamber music with renowned colleagues, the quartet has embarked on an adventurous collaboration with the famed modern dance ensemble, Compagnie Käfig (choreographer Mourad Merzouki), for a new project in which they are incorporated as choreographed elements while performing on their respective instruments in concert with the dancers.

The Debussy Quartet’s extensive discography includes the acclaimed Decca label release of the landmark Mozart Requiem recording, in the 1802 transcription by Peter Lichtenthal (about which a documentary film has also been made). The Arion label produced several volumes in the “French Music” collection (Bonnal, Ravel, Fauré, Witkowski, Lekeu) and the complete Shostakovich Quartets, among other works. The quartet’s mixed chamber music repertoire includes its highly regarded CD of the Brahms and Weber clarinet quintets with clarinetist Jean Francois Verdier and a highly acclaimed collaboration with the pianist François Chaplin in several Mozart piano concertos. In addition, their discography includes the complete works of Webern for string quartet (for Harmonia Mundi), which received the coveted « Choc » award of Le Monde de la Musique.

The Debussy Quartet is based in Lyon, France. Its members are the founders of “Les Cordes en Ballade” a chamber music festival and an academy of chamber music in the South of France, where they perform and teach each summer.

Booklet for Shostakovich: String Quartets