Borodin String Quartet No. 2 - Shostakovich String Quartet No. 8 - The Borodin Quartet

Borodin String Quartet

Best I've ever heard the Borodin String Quartet #2 sound - amazing fidelity. Same for the Shostakovich, of which I probably have 10 versions - vinyl, cd and digital.

HDTT release Borodin / Shostakovich quartets

My music appreciation career started around the time this recording was made and I acquired my copy around that time. I cherished it most of my life (!) until I got rid of almost all my lps. I purchased their later stereo recording of the Borodin on cd coupled with the first quartet but felt a bit let down. I was delighted when this new release came along! The Borodin has that almost childish sparkle and loving expression that I remembered so well. I sometimes wonder if some of those older recordings really sounded as good as I remember them. This release verifies that! A newcomer might think it was recorded at three PM yesterday! Not the least is the surprising better dynamic range in both, but especially in the Shostakovich. The eighth quartet here was my introduction to the Shostakovich quartets. I’ve purchased other stunning performances including the Fitzwilliam complete quartets recording. This performance is still my favorite! Let’s remember, this was still relatively NEW music when it was recorded and this “legendary” performance truly conveys the fresh shock, mystery, despair, regret, and resignation of its time. I remember wondering at the time about the seemingly incongruous pairing of these pieces on one lp. I realize now that we are looking at snapshots of human experience from two very different centuries, And both of these centuries are now past!