Review by JJ April 25, 2008 (7 of 7 found this review helpful)
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With this program devoted to Dimitri Shostakovich, we once again encounter the Amsterdam Sinfonietta, a Dutch ensemble that already spoiled us in Felix Mendelssohn’s complete early symphonies, issued on BIS (see Opus HD Magazine N°40). This disc is their first recording of two string quartets by the famous Russian composer. Some twenty years ago they released the N°8 in the arrangement by Rudolf Barshaï, which the orchestra interpreted with distinction. They have lost none of their magic. With original arrangements whose bass parts were composed by bass player Marijn van Prooijen, Quartets N°2 in A major Op.68 and N°4 in D major Op. 83 date respectively from 1946 and 1949. The score for the second quartet was completed six years after that of the first at the time that Shostakovich had just written his Trio for Piano and Strings N°2 in E minor Op.67. As to the fourth, Pierre-Emile Barbier remarks that it “radiates beauty, balance and lyrical magic. Admirably proportioned in its four traditional movements, it may seem more accessible, and for that reason remains one of Shostakovich ‘s most played. This formal perfection brings Haydn to mind in his Op.64 and 76.” Conducted by Candida Thompson, the Amsterdam Sinfonietta captivates us by its subtle and intense playing. With broad phrasing and perfect legato, their vision is deeply moving, and the listener knows not whether he is in a dream or a spell. This is an essential disc in a remarkable pure DSD recording.
Jean-Jacques Millo Translation Lawrence Schulman
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