The Shostakovich Quartet was a
string quartet
The term string quartet can refer to either a type of musical composition or a group of four people who play them. Many composers from the mid-18th century onwards wrote string quartets. The associated musical ensemble consists of two violinists ...
formed in September 1966 at the
Moscow Conservatory
The Moscow Conservatory, also officially Moscow State Tchaikovsky Conservatory (russian: Московская государственная консерватория им. П. И. Чайковского, link=no) is a musical educational inst ...
, and which continued to perform for some 47 years (with varied
line-up, but with the original 'cellist,
Alexander Korchagin, remaining throughout) until the start of 2014.
Formation and early years
The quartet was formed at the department of chamber ensemble and quartet in the class of R.R. Davidyan, by fourth-year students
Andrei Shishlov,
Alexander Balashov
Alexander Dmitriyevich Balashov (russian: Алекса́ндр Дми́триевич Балашо́в) (13 July 1770 in Moscow – 8 May 1837) was a Russian general and statesman.
Balashov came from a noble family. When the boy turned 6 years, ...
,
Alexei Dyachkov and Alexander Korchagin. In their first concert on April 1, 1967 in the White Hall of the Conservatory (now the Myaskovsky Concert Hall), the musicians performed the first quartet of
Beethoven
Ludwig van Beethoven (baptised 17 December 177026 March 1827) was a German composer and pianist. Beethoven remains one of the most admired composers in the history of Western music; his works rank amongst the most performed of the classical ...
, the third quartet of
Hindemith
Paul Hindemith (; 16 November 189528 December 1963) was a German composer, music theorist, teacher, violist and conductor. He founded the Amar Quartet in 1921, touring extensively in Europe. As a composer, he became a major advocate of the ' ...
and the fifth quartet of
Shostakovich
Dmitri Dmitriyevich Shostakovich, , group=n (9 August 1975) was a Soviet-era Russian composer and pianist who became internationally known after the premiere of his First Symphony in 1926 and was regarded throughout his life as a major compo ...
. In November 1967, the ensemble received the first prize at the Competition of the Moscow Conservatory and the Union of Composers of the USSR, dedicated to the 50th anniversary of the Soviet state. In 1968, the Quartet was admitted to an assistantship-internship for four full-time places (supervisor - R.R.Davidyan). At the same time, they were invited to work in the Moscow Regional Philharmonic.
[ A few years later, the cellist and quartetist, Professor Sergei Shirinsky, a member of the ]Beethoven Quartet
The Beethoven Quartet (russian: Струнный квартет имени Бетховена, ''Strunnyĭ kvartet imeni Betkhovena'') was a string quartet founded between 1922 and 1923 by graduates of the Moscow Conservatory: violinists Dmitri T ...
, played a significant role in the formation of the young ensemble.
A number of competition prizes followed, in particular third prize at the XIX ARD International Music Competition
The ARD International Music Competition (german: link=no, Internationaler Musikwettbewerb der ARD) is the largest international classical music competition in Germany. It is organised by the Bayerischer Rundfunk and held once a year in Munich.
Si ...
in Munich in 1970, and first prize at the XIII Leo Weiner International competition in Budapest in 1973. On February 23, 1979, by the Decree of the Government of the RSFSR, the team was named after Dmitri Shostakovich
Dmitri Dmitriyevich Shostakovich, , group=n (9 August 1975) was a Soviet-era Russian composer and pianist who became internationally known after the premiere of his Symphony No. 1 (Shostakovich), First Symphony in 1926 and was regarded throug ...
.[
]
Touring
The Quartet toured extensively- initially within the USSR, to venues both in larger and in more remote communities- and abroad- it toured in 47 countries on 4 continents, visiting several of them many times, for example the Netherlands, Germany, France, Italy, the USA, Canada, Australia, and Japan.[
]
Repertoire
The Quartet's repertoire included the 15 quartets by Dmitry Shostakovich, and other Russian composers such as Glinka, Tchaikovsky
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky , group=n ( ; 7 May 1840 – 6 November 1893) was a Russian composer of the Romantic period. He was the first Russian composer whose music would make a lasting impression internationally. He wrote some of the most popu ...
, Borodin
Alexander Porfiryevich Borodin ( rus, link=no, Александр Порфирьевич Бородин, Aleksandr Porfir’yevich Borodin , p=ɐlʲɪkˈsandr pɐrˈfʲi rʲjɪvʲɪtɕ bərɐˈdʲin, a=RU-Alexander Porfiryevich Borodin.ogg, ...
, Glazunov Glazunov (; feminine: Glazunova) is a Russian surname that may refer to:
*Alexander Glazunov (1865–1936), Russian composer
** Glazunov Glacier in Antarctica named after Alexander
* Andrei Glazunov, 19th-century Russian trade expedition leader
* An ...
, Grechaninov
Alexander Tikhonovich GretchaninovAlso commonly transliterated as ''Aleksandr/Alexandre'' ''Grechaninov/Gretchaninoff/Gretschaninow'' ( rus, Алекса́ндр Ти́хонович Гречани́нов, p=ɐlʲɪˈksandr ɡrʲɪtɕɐˈnʲin ...
, Prokofiev
Sergei Sergeyevich Prokofiev; alternative transliterations of his name include ''Sergey'' or ''Serge'', and ''Prokofief'', ''Prokofieff'', or ''Prokofyev''., group=n (27 April .S. 15 April1891 – 5 March 1953) was a Russian composer ...
and Stravinsky
Igor Fyodorovich Stravinsky (6 April 1971) was a Russian composer, pianist and conductor, later of French (from 1934) and American (from 1945) citizenship. He is widely considered one of the most important and influential 20th-century clas ...
. They also performed music by European composers including Haydn
Franz Joseph Haydn ( , ; 31 March 173231 May 1809) was an Austrian composer of the Classical period. He was instrumental in the development of chamber music such as the string quartet and piano trio. His contributions to musical form have led ...
, Mozart
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (27 January 17565 December 1791), baptised as Joannes Chrysostomus Wolfgangus Theophilus Mozart, was a prolific and influential composer of the Classical period (music), Classical period. Despite his short life, his ra ...
, Beethoven, Schubert
Franz Peter Schubert (; 31 January 179719 November 1828) was an Austrian composer of the late Classical and early Romantic eras. Despite his short lifetime, Schubert left behind a vast ''oeuvre'', including more than 600 secular vocal wor ...
, Schumann
Robert Schumann (; 8 June 181029 July 1856) was a German composer, pianist, and influential music critic. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest composers of the Romantic era. Schumann left the study of law, intending to pursue a career a ...
and Brahms
Johannes Brahms (; 7 May 1833 – 3 April 1897) was a German composer, pianist, and conductor of the mid-Romantic period. Born in Hamburg into a Lutheran family, he spent much of his professional life in Vienna. He is sometimes grouped with ...
, Debussy
(Achille) Claude Debussy (; 22 August 1862 – 25 March 1918) was a French composer. He is sometimes seen as the first Impressionist composer, although he vigorously rejected the term. He was among the most influential composers of the ...
and Ravel
Joseph Maurice Ravel (7 March 1875 – 28 December 1937) was a French composer, pianist and conductor. He is often associated with Impressionism in music, Impressionism along with his elder contemporary Claude Debussy, although both composer ...
.[
The music of Shostakovich featured strongly in the quartet's output. The artists performed a cycle of his 15 quartets at the ]Edinburgh Festival
__NOTOC__
This is a list of arts and cultural festivals regularly taking place in Edinburgh, Scotland.
The city has become known for its festivals since the establishment in 1947 of the Edinburgh International Festival and the Edinburgh Fe ...
(1988), in Amsterdam ( Concertgebouw Music Center, Kleine Zaal, 1984-85), at the Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival
The Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival is a six-week-long summer Festival of chamber music held annually in July and August and located in Santa Fe, New Mexico. It was founded in 1972 and presented its first series of concerts in 1973. Well-known mu ...
(USA, 1991), at the Adelaide Festival of Arts
The Adelaide Festival of Arts, also known as the Adelaide Festival, an arts festival, takes place in the South Australian capital of Adelaide in March each year. Started in 1960, it is a major celebration of the arts and a significant cultural ...
( Australia, 1986), at the Asolo Musica festival in Italy (1992), at the Kuhmo Chamber Music Festival Kuhmo Chamber Music Festival ( fi, Kuhmon Kamarimusiikki) is an international chamber music festival held every July for two weeks in Kuhmo, Finland. It is the largest chamber music festival in Finland in terms of sold tickets. The festival attracts ...
(Finland, 1995); as well as in Paris (twice), Antwerp, Rotterdam, Utrecht (multiple times), Tokyo, Malmö, Rome, Naples, Palermo, Moscow (multiple times).[
]
Recordings
The Quartet also carried out studio work. They furnished the All-Union Radio Fund with many sound recordings. Over 50 records and CDs of the Quartet were released by Melodiya
Melodiya ( rus, links=no, Мелодия, t=Melody) is a Russian (formerly Soviet) record label. It was the state-owned major record company of the Soviet Union.
History
Melodiya was established in 1964 as the "All-Union Gramophone Record Firm ...
, Russkiy Disk, Vista Vera, Boheme (Russia); "Olympia", "Regis
Regis or Régis may refer to:
People
* Regis (given name), a given name (including a list of people with the name)
* Regis (surname), a surname (including a list of people with the name)
* Regis (musician), full name Karl O'Connor, an English ...
", "Alto" (Great Britain); Deutsche Grammophon
Deutsche Grammophon (; DGG) is a German classical music record label that was the precursor of the corporation PolyGram. Headquartered in Berlin Friedrichshain, it is now part of Universal Music Group (UMG) since its merger with the UMG family of ...
(Germany), Ricordi
Ricordi may refer to:
People
*Giovanni Ricordi (1785–1853), Italian violinist and publishing company founder
*Giulio Ricordi (1840–1912), Italian publisher and musician
Music
*Casa Ricordi, an Italian music publishing company established in ...
(Italy), MFSL (USA), Toshiba EMI
, formerly , was one of Japan's leading music companies. It became a wholly owned subsidiary of British music company EMI Group Ltd. on June 30, 2007, after Toshiba sold off its previous 45% stake. Its CEO and president was Kazuhiko Koike. Whe ...
and Sacrambow (Japan).[
]
Awards
In 1987, the Quartet was awarded the Glinka State Prize of the RSFSR The Glinka State Prize of the RSFSR (Государственная премия РСФСР имени М.И. Глинки) was a prize awarded to musicians of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic from 1965–1991.
To be distinguished f ...
.[
]
Line-up
Quartet
Membership of the Quartet over the years was as follows:[
*1st violin: Andrey Shishlov (1966–2010), Alexander Trostyansky (2011), Graf Murzha (2012, 2013).
*2nd violin: Alexander Balashov (1966–1975), Alexander Semyannikov (1976, 1977), Sergei Pischugin (1977–2012), Alexander Dogadaev (2012, 2013).
*Viola: Alexey Dyachkov (1966–1972), Alexander Galkovsky (1972–2004), Anton Yaroshenko (2004, 2005), Fedor Belugin (2005–2011), Yuri Tkanov (2011–2013).
*Cello: Alexander Korchagin (1966–2013)
]
Guest musicians
Over the years, the Quartet has performed in an ensemble with many musicians, including Tatiana Nikolaeva, Aleksey Nasedkin Alexei Nasedkin (russian: Алексе́й Насе́дкин; 20 December 1942 in Moscow – 4 December 2014 in Moscow) was a Russian pianist and composer.
Nasedkin showed a talent for music at a young age, composing an opera at age 7, ''The Tale ...
, Vladimir Krainev
Vladimir Krainev (russian: Влади́мир Все́володович Кра́йнев; 1 April 1944 – 29 April 2011) was a Russian pianist and professor of piano, People's Artist of the USSR.
Biography
Krainev was born in Krasnoyarsk, the ...
, Nikolai Petrov, Mikhail Voskresensky
Mikhail Voskresensky (; born 1935) is a Russian pianist who left Russia for the United States in 2022 protesting against Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Training
Mikhail Voskresensky is known internationally as a pianist in the great Romantic tradi ...
, Tigran Alikhanov, Oleksandr Bondurianskyi, Nikolai Lugansky
Nikolai Lvovich Lugansky (russian: Никола́й Льво́вич Луга́нский; born 26 April 1972) is a Russian pianist.
Early life and education
Nikolai Lugansky was born on 26 April 1972 in Moscow, Russia, to research scientist p ...
, Nina Kogan
Nina Kogan (1887–1942) was a Russian painter known for her Suprematist works.
Life and career
Nina Osipovna (Iosifovna) Kogan was born in 1887 or 1889 in Vitebsk, Saint Petersburg, or Moscow, and studied at the St.
Ekaterina School in St. Peter ...
, Tatiana Zheleznikova, Liana Isakadze
Liana Isakadze ( ka, ლიანა ისაკაძე, russian: Лиана Александровна Исакадзе, german: Liana Isakadse) (born August 2, 1946) is a Georgian violinist.
Life
Born in Tbilisi, the capital of then-Sovie ...
, Viktor Tretyakov
Viktor Viktorovich Tretiakov (russian: Ви́ктор Ви́кторович Третьяко́в; born 17 October 1946) is a Russian violinist and conductor.
Other spellings of his name are Victor, Tretyakov and Tretjakov.
Biography
The son of a ...
, Grigori Zhislin Grigori Yefimovich Zhislin (Russian Григорий Ефимович Жислин; 14 May 1945 in Leningrad – 2 May 2017 in Berlin) was a Russian violinist and pedagogue.
He studied with Yuri Yankelevich at the Moscow Conservatory. At the age of ...
, Alexey Kozlov, and other Russian and foreign artists.[
]
References
{{String quartets, state=collapsed
Russian string quartets
Soviet musical groups
Musical groups established in 1945
Dmitri Shostakovich