The release of this seven-LP set is timed to coincide with the Borodin Quartet's visit to London this spring when they will be playing the complete Shostakovich cycle. Their last set recorded in the period 1967-71 (HMV SLS879, v6/74—nla) occupied six LPs but could not, of course, include the last two quartets which were not composed until 1973 and 1974. (They subsequently repaired this omission but their accounts, while available on the continent, were not issued in the UK). This newcomer naturally includes them and the Piano Quintet for good measure, in an imposing performance with Sviatoslav Richter recorded at a public concert in 1983, and already reviewed in these columns by MEO, who had reservations (which, incidentally, I share) only about the quality of the actual recorded sound of the piano. I may perhaps be forgiven for reminding readers that the personnel of the quartet changed in 1974 when Rostislav Dubinsky and Yaroslav Alexandrov left to live in the west.
Over the years the Shostakovich quartets have been well served on record, and never better than in the pioneering versions by the Beethoven Quartet, who penetrated so deeply into their spirit. Barely a handful of these reached dealers in this country, though Nos. 14 and 15 were released here on HMV (HQS1362, 11/76—nla). This is the Borodin Quartet's second complete cycle and, incidentally, their third version of Quartet No. 8, the first being for Decca (SXL6036, 2/63—nla). Two of the performances, apart from the Quintet, derive from concerts. The audience is commendably attentative and their presence is only momentarily betrayed in the slow movement of No. 6. The layout of the new set is superior in one small but not unimportant respect: whereas the Quartet's earlier set involved side breaks in Nos. 2 and 3 (and the Fitzwilliam in the single-LP L'Oiseau-Lyre format—the boxed set is on Decca—which I have to hand, had side breaks in Nos. 2, 3 and 13) every quartet in the new set can be enjoyed without interruption. I started my listening with the wartime quartet, whose slow movement, the ''Recitative and Romance'' is so difficult to bring off. What marvellously rapt pianissimo tone the leader, Mikhail Kopelman produces at fig. 9 of the movement and how compelling he is in the ''Recitative and Romance''. Indeed, of all the three I tried (the earlier Borodin and the Fitzwilliam), his is the most intense and concentrated, and the superbly blended sustained chords convey a sense of hushed awe. The performance altogether, and this goes for so many of the others, can only be described as masterly.
The very first thing that struck me on lowering the stylus was the somewhat drier acoustic of this recording. In this respect their earlier set is to be preferred and so is the Fitzwilliam. But the ear soon adjusts and I found that this did not trouble me in Quartet No. 3, which bears comparison with the Beethoven Quartet, to whom Shostakovich dedicated it and who recorded it for Melodiya. It was with them that he recorded his Piano Quintet (Parlophone mono PMA1040, 8/58—nla). In Quartet No. 5, I was more disturbed by the sound, which seems to me significantly drier and harder than in the earlier set. This is a pity since it is a wonderfully compelling account and its quieter moments are particularly moving. Generally speaking the quartets recorded in 1984 (Nos. 3 and 5) are the driest. In No. 6, recorded two years earlier, I broke off my listening to remind myself of the earlier Borodin set and though the old performance is probably not so eloquent, the recording is undoubtedly warmer. However, I must not make too much of this, for the recorded quality gives no grounds for serious complaint in the later quartets even if the balance is closer than is ideal.
The Shostakovich quartets thread through the composer's creative life like some inner odyssey and inhabit terrain of increasing spiritual desolation. Indeed, if the importance of a set were to be determined by the length of the review, this issue would crave many column inches. The Borodin are masterly guides throughout and listening to this set over a fairly long period has reaffirmed one's admiration for this impressive cycle. In the bleak world of the Quartet No. 13 and its successors, they are superb and they capture, too, the elusive first movement of No. 10 dedicated to Moishei Vainberg. Here, and in the vast majority of the later quartets, the recording is fully acceptable.
Summing up, readers who have already invested in the Fitzwilliam set need not feel that their allegiance is displaced. Returning to them briefly for purposes of comparison is to be reminded of their excellence both as performances and, more importantly, recordings. But were I buying a complete cycle of the quartets afresh, I would be sorely tempted by the sheer quality of the playing on this newcomer, and for me this would ultimately settle the matter. The Borodin possess enormous refinement, an altogether sumptuous tone and a perfection of technical address that is almost in a class of its own; and what wonderful intonation! The record, already issued, coupling Quartets Nos. 7 and 8 with the Piano Quintet was at full price, but the complete set is offered at mid-price. This somewhat mundane but hardly insignificant factor may well be decisive for many collectors. The set includes a revision by the late-lamented Hugh Ottaway for the earlier HMV Borodin set.RL