Dmitri Shostakovich - String Quartet No. 10, Op. 118 (1964)

Dmitri Dmitriyevich Shostakovich (Дми́трий Дми́триевич Шостако́вич, tr. Dmitriy Dmitrievich Shostakovich 25 September 1906 – 9 August 1975) was a Soviet composer and pianist, and a prominent figure of 20th-century music.

String Quartet No. 10 in A flat, Op. 118 (1964)

1. Andante
2. Allegretto furioso (4:11)
3. Adagio (8:16)
4. Allegretto (13:32)

Fitzwilliam Quartet

Description by Robert Cummings
Shostakovich wrote the String Quartet No. 10 in a mere ten days, while resident at a composer's retreat in the Armenian town of Dilizhin. Its expressive language is not as advanced as that found in his later quartets, but it is far from that of the mild-mannered and politically acquiescent world of the Piano Concerto No. 2 and Symphony No. 12. The overall character of the work is dark, in some places sinister and fearful.

The quartet is made up of four movements: Andante, Allegretto furioso, Adagio, and Allegretto. The last two movements are continuous, with the finale the longest of the four and containing thematic references to the earlier movements. The quartet opens with a four-note motif that seems to pose a question or establish a sense of doubt. The mood then turns dark, but remains subdued throughout the movement. The ensuing panel, as its marking indicates, contains furious music, but it is the fury of fear and anxiety, as well as of anger.

The Adagio is a mournful passacaglia and offers a touching theme that turns darker and more ponderous as the movement progresses. The finale begins as if it is breaking away from the melancholy character of the piece, its main theme seemingly jaunty and carefree. But the music cannot escape its dark nature for long, as ghostly reminiscences of the Adagio theme and motifs from the first movement haunt the latter moments of the work. The quartet closes quietly in a somewhat detached and lonely mood.

Some have viewed this work as a statement that human feelings and emotions can overcome evil. They interpret the second movement "furioso" as that evil, and because there is no reference to its music in the closing measures, only to the serene, if melancholy, strains of the other themes, its absence signals its vanquishing. While there may be merit to this view, it might also be an overly simplistic interpretation of an enormously complex and multifaceted composition.

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