Walton and Shostakovich String Quartets

Walton and Shostakovich String Quartets

£8.00 – £14.00

Following their successful Dvořák cycle with Signum Records, Albion String Quartet are back with a selection of string quartets by Walton and Shostakovich, recorded in 2021. The concept: to juxtapose two masterpieces written in the same year in the immediate aftermath of war (1946) by composers inhabiting two entirely different social and political worlds in the Soviet Union and Britain respectively.

Formed in 2016, the Albion Quartet brings together four of the UK’s exceptional young string players who are establishing themselves rapidly on the international stage. Recent engagements from the 2017-18 season included performances at the Louvre in Paris, Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, Robert Schumann Gesselschaft in Frankfurt, Båstad Festival in Sweden, Festival of Music in Franconia and Rhine Valley Music Festival in Germany, as well as the Hay Festival in the UK. The members of the quartet play on a fine collection of instruments, including a Stradivarius and Guarnerius.

The best string quartet recordings of 2022: EDITORS CHOICE “I was instantly stuck by the sheer vividness – both the compelling committed playing and the immediacy of sound – of this superb chamber album from the Albion Quartet” – Gramophone

CRITICS CHOICE “This is just a fantastic recording. It sounds great, the playing erudite and courageous, and quite simply the best thing I’ve heard all year. The architecture and pacing throughout the album are so well judged, and the excruciating yet exhilarating journey through these musical and emotional states captures the dichotomy of those times – and these times – so well. For this the Albion Quartet and their production team deserve high praise” – Gramophone

★★★★★ Performance ★★★★ Recording “The Albion Quartet pace, phrase, point and colour Walton’s volatile textures and agile rhythms with all the sensitivity and energy they require. Yet they are equally successful in the fiercer more unpredictable contrasts in the Shostakovich…The Signum Recording…has tremendous presence and dynamic range” – BBC Music Magazine

SKU: SIGCD727
 Available as a cd Available as a cd iTUNES  Spotify Buy PRESTO CD

Albion Quartet

Release Date: 04/11/2022

Catalogue Number: SIGCD727

Barcode: 635212072721

 “There is a commitment and intensity to the playing on this disc that is, in my view, a real step forward from the Albion Quartet’s previous series of Dvorak quartets released over the last couple of years…A large pat on the back for the Albion in making this work so well” – Present Arts

“[Walton] It’s sound is attenuated, refined and entirely modern, beautifully contoured to the first movement’s febrile energy and the ‘night music’ skitterings of the scherzo. Ravishing pure tone in the upper strings sets an expectant scene for the warmth of the viola’s solo”  – The Strad

“They capture Walton’s quirky energy, his unpredictability, an in places the piercing pathos of a piece written just after the end of the Second World War… an impressive new recording from the Albion Quartet…there’s so much tenderness in the playing…[Shostakovich] more febrile, just as effective, vital performances” – BBC Radio 3 Record Review

“The Albion Quartet, formed in 2016, are true advocates for both pieces. Their ensemble and blend of tone is seamless, and both violins are evenly matched. They perform with rhythmic verve, interplay and fire. The deliciously prominent viola parts in both works are played with relish and beauty by Ann Bailey.” – AUSTA National Journal

WALTON STRING QUARTET NO. 2 IN A MINOR

[1] Allegro 

[2] Presto

[3] Lento

[4] Allegro Molto

SHOSTAKOVICH STRING QUARTET NO. 3 IN F MAJOR 

[4] Allegretto

[5] Moderato con moto 

[6] Allegro non troppo 

[7] Adagio

[8] Moderato

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