mystery string quartet

January 7, 2008 12:27 AM

Could somebody help identify this contemporary-sounding string quartet?

Unfortunately, I know nothing about it. Houndbite link.

posted by archagon to media & arts (4 comments total)

It's Shostakovich, although I can't remember which particular one on account of my CDs being in storgae in another country.
posted by the duck by the oboe at 1:37 AM on January 7, 2008

A bit of googling reveals it to be the first movement of the 4th.
posted by the duck by the oboe at 1:51 AM on January 7, 2008

definitely the first movement of Shostakovich's fourth string quartet. I played it recently in the orchestral arrangement by Rudolf Barshai (see here for more info, no I wasn't playing on that recording.
posted by altolinguistic at 2:02 AM on January 7, 2008

Thanks for the question; I'm listening to it right now (performed by the Fitzwilliam Quartet). Interesting that a piece written in 1949 sounds "contemporary"!
posted by languagehat at 7:53 AM on January 7, 2008