Shostakovich: Complete String Quartets, Vol. 1 (Nos. 1-5)

CD1

1. No. 1 in C major, Do majeur, C-Dur Op. 49
2. No. 1 in C major, Do majeur, C-Dur Op. 49
3. No. 1 in C major, Do majeur, C-Dur Op. 49
4. No. 1 in C major, Do majeur, C-Dur Op. 49
5. No. 2 in A major, La majeur, A-Dur Op. 68
6. No. 2 in A major, La majeur, A-Dur Op. 68
7. No. 2 in A major, La majeur, A-Dur Op. 68
8. No. 2 in A major, La majeur, A-Dur Op. 68
9. No. 4 in D major, Re majeur, D-Dur Op. 83
10. No. 4 in D major, Re majeur, D-Dur Op. 83
11. No. 4 in D major, Re majeur, D-Dur Op. 83
12. No. 4 in D major, Re majeur, D-Dur Op. 83

CD2

1. No. 3 in F major, Fa majeur, F-Dur Op. 73
2. No. 3 in F major, Fa majeur, F-Dur Op. 73
3. No. 3 in F major, Fa majeur, F-Dur Op. 73
4. No. 3 in F major, Fa majeur, F-Dur Op. 73
5. No. 3 in F major, Fa majeur, F-Dur Op. 73
6. No. 5 in B-flat major, Si bemol majeur, B-Dur Op. 92
7. No. 5 in B-flat major, Si bemol majeur, B-Dur Op. 92
8. No. 5 in B-flat major, Si bemol majeur, B-Dur Op. 92

After being subjected to public attacks by the Soviet regime in the mid-1930s, Shostakovich sought new avenues of self-expression by turning to chamber music, and the string quartet became for him the perfect medium for private confession. To launch their complete Shostakovich cycle, members of the Cuarteto Casals offer deeply insightful readings of the first five quartets—works that are pivotal in the composer’s oeuvre.