Prussians & Russians

Villiers Quartet: Prussians & Russians

The first of two performances by the former Quartet-in-Residence at the Faculty of Music juxtaposes two statuesque Russian chamber works with the first of Mozart’s Prussian quartets. Borodin’s 1881 quartet, dedicated to the composer’s wife, is famed for its soulful Notturno. Shostakovich wrote Op.73 following the censure of his 9^thSymphony by the Soviet authorities; expressing high drama and compositional mastery, the work evidences the composer as among the greatest quartet writers of the 20th century.

Mozart Quartet in D, K. 575

Borodin Quartet No. 2 in D

Shostakovich Quartet No. 3 in F, Op. 73