Shostakovich    String Quartet No. 10 in A flat major, Op. 118

Shostakovich    String Quartet No. 15 in E flat minor, Op. 144

Leamington Music is delighted to bring to the Royal Pump Rooms a rare and exhilarating opportunity to hear all of Shostakovich’s incredible 15 string quartets across six concerts in one weekend.

(Introductory note to Quartets 10 & 15 by Paul Cassidy)

Perhaps it’s because of where it lies in the cycle, between Nina, Dmitri and Irina and the four members of the Beethoven Quartet, but No.10 always strikes me as a little oasis. Whilst its outer movements remain eerily subdued, drained of hope and with little to prove, they do nonetheless serve to highlight two of the most striking movements in the whole set. The furioso second, with its 347 bars of unrelenting venom, is arguably the most bitter of his tirades. This is followed by a particularly beautiful passacaglia whose form is a bit of a Shostakovich trademark. Rather in the way that so many of Beethoven’s great slow movements are in fact sets of variations, so the passacaglia form allows Dmitri to lay out a bass line and repeat it as often as necessary, adding more and more beauty around it. Like Bach before them, these two giants were formidable improvisers.

And so we come to No.15. and frankly, what to say? This is the most intimate and profound commentary on the eternal question of life and death – what’s it all about? The music is stripped back to its bare bones, perpetually alone. Only for one brief moment of its heavenly length do the four players collectively exist. The work is full of emotion, beauty, love, tragedy, humour – it’s all there, but expressed existentially by a mind which appears to be straddling that nebulous line between reality and the unknown. It was Shostakovich’s genius which allowed him to capture these images for us mere mortals to reflect upon.

The Brodsky Quartet have performed over 3,000 concerts on the major stages of the world and released more than 60 recordings. The Quartet are among the most beloved interpreters of Dmitri Shostakovich’s music, a creative relationship that goes back to 1972, the year they formed.

The artists themselves put it best, saying: “We invite you to join us in celebrating the most magical and intimate journey in all music. Come and revel in the personal diaries of one of the world’s greatest ever musicians. Initially inspired by life – the birth of his son – and finishing with our collective demise, these masterpieces address family, friends, enemies and lovers; with every conceivable emotion explored. We promise you a rollercoaster. Take the ride!”

Immerse yourself or select as you wish – tickets are available per concert, per day, or for the whole weekend experience.

Tickets: £22 centre and £12 sides | £1 students and children

Full Weekend Saver:   £120 (centre) | £70 (sides)
Saturday Saver:   £72 (centre) | £46 (sides)
Sunday Saver:   £60 (centre) | £32 (sides)