David Dalle
Thursday July 11th, 2019 with David Dalle
Highlights from the 2nd week of Music & Beyond, celebrating its 10th anniversary: the Borodin Quartet and Shostakovich, Ensemble Caprice and Shostakovich, Bach, Vivaldi.

The Borodin Quartet is the longest continuously performing string quartet in the world, founded in 1945 by four students at the Moscow Conservatory including the cellist Mstislav Rostropovich who left only after a few weeks and was replaced by his classmate at the conservatory Valentin Berlinsky who would spend over six decades--the rest of his life--with the Borodin Quartet until a year prior to his death in 2008. Berlinksy was the foundation of their longetivity and the link between the founding members and the current members including 1st violinist Ruben Aharonian and violist Igor Naidin who joined the Borodin in 1996. All past and present members of the Borodin have been graduates from the Moscow Conservatory. The Borodin Quartet will be performing three concerts at the festival starting tonight and continuing this weekend with music from Haydn, Schubert, Tchaikovsky, their namesake Borodin, and two tremendous quartets from Shostakovich. The Borodin Quartet was always closely associated with Shostakovich, working closely with him and performing and recording all his quartets. They will be performing his 4th and 9th quartet and we will hear their recent recording of the tremendous 4th quartet. The 4th dates from 1949, just a year after his 2nd denunciation where he was humiliated in front of the composer's union and prevented from working. In his string quartets, we always find Shostakovich composing at his most intimate and personal, which he often considered music composed "for the desk drawer", kept away from official censors and persecution. The 4th quartet moves from passionate religious feeling in the first movement, one of the most beautiful laments by Shostakovich in the 2nd, and more energetic folk-like melodies in the 3rd and 4th movements where it appears he wanted the music to sound like Russian Jewish village music, possibly his subtle protest against the vicious anti-semitic campaigns Stalin initiated in the late 40's and only ended with Stalin's death in 1953. Not surprisingly, the quartet (like several of his works) only received its premiere a few months after Stalin's death. A magnificent quartet performed by some of the greatest Shostakovich interpreters. https://musicandbeyond.ca/event/borodin-quartet-i-quatuor-borodine-i/ https://musicandbeyond.ca/event/borodin-quarter-ii-quatour-borodine-ii/ https://musicandbeyond.ca/event/borodin-quartet-iii-quatuor-borodine-iii/ Another upcoming highlight is Montreal's acclaimed early music Ensemble Caprice who will be performing all 6 Brandenburg concertos this weekend as well as ending the weekend with the explosive and joyful Gloria from Vivaldi. https://musicandbeyond.ca/event/complete-brandenburg-concertos-i-integrale-des-concertos-brandebourgeois-i/ https://musicandbeyond.ca/event/complete-brandenburg-concertos-ii-integrale-des-concertos-brandebourgeois-ii/ https://musicandbeyond.ca/event/vivaldis-gloria-le-gloria-de-vivaldi-the-orchestra-and-choir-of-ensemble-caprice/ They produced a fascinating recording in 2012 where they preceded the Brandenburgs with preludes from Shostakovich's own homage to Bach, his 24 Preludes and Fugues for piano, here arranged for their period instruments.