The quartets in this album—Dmitri Shostakovich’s String Quartet No. 3 and Benjamin Britten’s String Quartet No. 2—provide us with two of the most powerfully personal reflections upon the dark chaos of the the World War II era. Although differing in their musical language, both works capture a rending sense of personal vulnerability in the face of large-scale war. Both quartets are epic in structure, but their universal outlook is constantly challenged by the emotional details of individual human suffering, and this is what makes their overall impression so profound.
“...the first recording from the Jupiter String Quartet is a definite
winner... These two essential chamber scores of the mid-20th century work
beautifully together.”
— St. Louis Post-Dispatch |
