COMPOSERS: Shostakovich
LABELS: Calliope
WORKS: Piano Quintet; Quartet No. 8
PERFORMER: Yakov Kasman (piano); Talich Quartet
CATALOGUE NO: CAL 5320
There’s controlled desperation in the Piano Quintet, especially in the long build-up in the fugue, and the resigned plodding of the Intermezzo. The Quartet isn’t quite as intense, but displays an extraordinary range of instrumental colour. Martin Cotton