CCLXIII. SHOSTAKOVICH, Dmitri: String Quartet #10 in A-Flat Major, Op. 118

CCLXIII. SHOSTAKOVICH, Dmitri (1906-1975)

String Quartet #10 in A-Flat Major, Op. 118 (1964)
1. Andante
2. Allegretto furioso
3. Adagio (attacca)
4. Allegretto -- Andante
Jerusalem Quartet
(23:37)

By the mid-60s, Shostakovich was no longer subject to the cruel Stalinist denunciations from the three previous decades -- but he wasn't immune from "State criticism," either.

The year before saw the premiere of the Thirteen Symphony, based on poems by Yevgeny Yevtushenko about the Babi Yar massacre.

Khrushchev had already denounced the poet for "putting the suffering of the Jews above the Russian people." Shostakovich was not deterred, and although Mravinsky was pressured to bow out (replaced by the braver Kondrashin), the premiere went on.

**

Thus, this quartet seems to be typical Shostakovich in the sense that is filled with angst and melancholy -- tempered by outright rage!

First Movement

Sort of E Minor-ish, the solo violin eventually resolves to the tonic right after this mournful intro:

Suddenly, the viola ups the tempo in this sul ponticello section:

Second Movement

Here's the ferocious rage:

which gets even more intense:

Third Movement

A passacaglia -- chromatic and yearning ...

Fourth Movement

attacca from the previous movement; more tightly-wound chromaticism -- a vague hint of the DSCH monogram.

ending in a wispy fade-out: