Shostakovich: String Quartets Nos. 3 & 4 (Arr. R. Barshai for Chamber Orchestra)

Featuring

Roberto Beltrán Zavala
re:orchestra
Dmitri Shostakovich
Anonymous (Traditional)
Vasile Nedea

Did you know?

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Historical Context

Shostakovich's Third and Fourth String Quartets were written during unstable times in the Soviet Union, amidst the destruction of World War II and Stalin's terror.

Composer's Artistic Vision

Shostakovich identified strongly with Jews as victims of discrimination and persecution, and admired their music, stating that Jewish folk music is "almost always laughter through tears."

Composer's Artistic Vision

Dmitri Shostakovich, the composer, was deeply attracted to Jewish folk music, and his father sang gypsy romances to him as a child.

Performer Biography

Vasile Nedea, who compiled and arranged the folk music on this album, is an internationally recognized cimbalom and accordion virtuoso whose music is rooted in his Romani background.

Album & Artwork

The "Essential Music" project aims to present composers in the context of the folk music that surrounded them, exploring connections between classical and folk musical universes.

Performer Biography

The re:orchestra, founded in 2009, is a young ensemble whose members play in some of Europe's foremost orchestras, and they are known for outstanding concerts and groundbreaking multidisciplinary projects.

Composition History

Rudolf Barshai, a close friend of Shostakovich and a prominent conductor and violist, orchestrated four of Shostakovich's string quartets, and these orchestrations were sanctioned by the composer.