Dmitri Shostakovich - String Quartet No. 1 in C major, Op. 49 (1938)

Dmitri Dmitriyevich Shostakovich (25 September [O.S. 12 September] 1906 – 9 August 1975) was a Russian composer and pianist. He is regarded as one of the major composers of the 20th century.

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String Quartet No. 1 in C major, Op. 49 (1938)

1. Moderato (0:00)
2. Moderato (5:23)
3. Allegro molto (10:13)
4. Allegro (12:18)

Fitzwilliam Quartet
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Description by Bob Williams [-]
When Shostakovich composed his first string quartet, he had already written, among other things, five symphonies and incurred the rancor, often fatal, of Stalin. It was not enough for those in Shostakovich's position to be tough: they had also to be lucky. The black humor in Shostakovich's music reflects one way of coping with danger. Such humor shows in the last movement of this quartet. The quartet as a whole stands out, however, in sunny contrast to many of his later quartets. He began it as an exercise, but quickly became absorbed in his task and finished it in six weeks. He made alterations. The movements that were to be first and last switched positions. The work is brief, fewer than 15 minutes long.

Shostakovich denied that he intended the quartets to carry any meanings different from that of his other music, but this denial takes little account of the special qualities of the string quartet. In intimacy and concentration of means it becomes a more personal document than other musical forms. Although there may be a unity of meaning in Shostakovich's music, the string quartets speak more directly and on a more personal level.