Borodin Quartet speelt Debussy en Sjostakovitsj

Borodin Quartet

Not so long ago, the world-famous Borodin Quartet celebrated its eightieth anniversary, a magnificent milestone. Naturally, they sound different than they used to, first violinist Nikolai Sachenko once remarked. And yet: their ideas about sound formation are determined by the shared heritage known to everyone. They try to keep those ideas as alive as possible, just like the music they play. Tonight, that consists of works by Haydn, Debussy, and Shostakovich. Long ago, the quartet collaborated with the latter composer: a gold mine of performance information has become embedded in the musicians' performance language. For that reason alone, this evening will be unique.

Debussy and Shostakovich

Debussy and Shostakovich, two composers who differ from each other like day and night. Personal experiences had a tremendous impact on Shostakovich, whereas Debussy wrote absolute music, detached from emotional or political developments. Moreover, both employ a very distinct musical language. Shostakovich confronts, making the listener a participant in his inner struggle, in raw but understandable notes with intense climaxes. Debussy evokes a poetic-suggestive world in which atmosphere and color are important. Gripping beauty can be reached along very different routes.