The 11th quartet is an
extraordinary and rather cryptic work in which Shostakovich departs
from the usual 4 movement structure and instead writes 7 shorter
movements (or 'minatures'), all played without a break. The titles,
Introduction, Scherzo, Recitative, Etude, Humoresque, Elegy &
Finale, only tell half the
story. On first listening the work can sound sparse and disjointed,
but perhaps this reflects the background of the quartet. It is
dedicated to the memory of Vasily Shirinsky, the second violinist of
the Beethoven Quartet (who premiered most of Shostakovich's
quartets). Vasily had been a great friend to Shostakovich and his
death came as a severe shock. The quartet considered disbanding (they
probably felt similarly disjointed at the time), but Shostakovich
urged them to continue and wrote them this new quartet.
The 7
movements are bound together by a motif first introduced on the
cello. The motif is based around one single note (an F#), and when
playing it there is a sense that the music is trying to get going,
only to fail time and time again. The titles of the movements often
seem contradictory to their mood. The Scherzo
feels far from happy or light and quickly evaporates until all that
remains is a low held C in the viola. Similarly, the Humoresque,
far from providing light relief, sees the second violin repeatedly
mimicking a cuckoo call, perhaps a reference to the old Russian
superstition that the number of calls represents the remaining years
of life. The Elegy provides
the emotional heart of the work and it is hard not to feel the
fullness of the sense of loss. The second violin solo that leads into
the Finale is played
con sordino and is an echo of
the first violin melody, as if Shirinsky's ghost is present. The
quartet ends with the first violin holding a top c for almost 30
seconds and it can be interpreted in many ways; a ghostly note fading
into oblivion, a spirit rising up on it's final journey or a distant
cry of anguish and pain. However the last note is played, there is no
escaping the immense effect Shirinsky's death had on those around
him, and the premiere of the quartet was to have far reaching
consequences for Shostakovich's already poor health. The premier took
place on May 28th
1966. Shostakovich was to perform in the first half and wrote to his
friend Glikman of his terrible nerves.
'When I think that the concert is
not that far off, my right hand starts to go on strike altogether.'
The
concert was a success with the new eleventh quartet encored, but the
extreme nervous tension had taken its toll and Shostakovich was taken
ill that night. Shostakovich had in fact suffered a heart attack and
although not fatal he was never to fully recover. Some have suggested
that it was that night that saw the start of Shostakovich's slow
descent to death.
I recently heard your enthralling performance of the 11th quartet in Oxford and can't wait for the complete quartets in 2015! I've even heard you might be performing them all in one day!?
ReplyDeleteYes we've got some really exciting plans for 'intense' cycles next year! Will keep you posted!
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