Title: Brilliant!
Product review: Due to personnel changes there are actually two "Borodin Quartets;" (1) the Earlier BQ: Rostislav Dubinsky (violin), Yaroslov Alexandrov (violin), Dmitry Shebalin (viola), Valentin Berlinsky (cello); and (2) the Later BQ: Mikhail Kopelman (violin), Andrei Abramenkov (violin), Dmitri Shebalin (viola), and Valentin Berlinsky (cello). As far as the Shostakovich quartets are concerned, the Later BQ are brilliant performances, and my first choice for this music:(1a) Virgin Classics: #2,3,7,8,12 (2-CD)(7243 5 61630 2 7) The Virgin Classics set is a selection from the original BMG/Melodiya disks:(1b) BMG/Melodiya:(74321 40712 2) #1,2,4(74321 40713 2) #3 + Two Pieces for String Octet + Piano Quintet (with S. Richter)(74321 40714 2) #5,6,7(74321 40715 2) #8,9,10(74321 40716 2) #11,12,13(74321 40717 2) #14,15(2)The Earlier BQ (Shostakovich #1-13) set is: Chandos 10064(4) (4-CD). It is more mellow than the Later BQ, but lacks the edginess that seems essential to me in Shostakovich's music.
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