Dmitri Shostakovich - Complete String Quartets, Vol. 3, Nos. 13-15 (Cuarteto Casals)

Information

Composer: Dmitri Shostakovich

• String Quartet No. 13 in B-Flat Minor, Op. 138
• String Quartet No. 14 in F-Sharp Major, Op. 142
• String Quartet No. 15 in E-Flat Minor, Op. 144

Cuarteto Casals

    Vera Martínez Mehner, violin

    Abel Tomàs Realp, violin

    Jonathan Brown, viola

    Arnau Tomàs Realp, cello

Date: 2026

Label: Harmonia Mundi

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The third and final album in Cuarteto Casals’ complete Shostakovich cycle presents the composer’s last three string quartets, composed between 1970 and 1974 during his final years. These works, deeply marked by illness and an acute awareness of mortality, combine formal innovation with raw emotional intensity. The Thirteenth Quartet is a viola-led lament of stark chorales, brittle staccato figures, and a culminating “screaming crescendo.” The Fourteenth shifts focus to the cello, blending radiant F-sharp major passages with intimate quotations and an Adagio duet. The Fifteenth serves as a meditative valediction: six adagios in E-flat minor that evoke grief, memory, and the liminal space between life and death.

Founded in 1997 at Madrid’s Escuela Reina Sofía, the Cuarteto Casals has become one of the world’s leading string quartets. Celebrating its 20th anniversary with an international Beethoven cycle and commissioned works, the group also explores Mozart, Bartók, Ligeti, and Kurtág. Winners of top competitions, they’ve performed at major venues like Carnegie Hall and the Concertgebouw. Their acclaimed recordings on Harmonia Mundi include Spanish, classical, and 20th-century repertoire, including a complete Beethoven quartet set. Recognized as cultural ambassadors of Spain and Catalunya, they also champion contemporary composers and perform annually on Stradivarius instruments at Madrid’s Royal Palace.

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