Amsterdam Sinfonietta – Shostakovich: String Quartets 2&4 (2007) [Hi-Res SACD Rip]

Amsterdam Sinfonietta – Shostakovich: String Quartets 2&4 (2007) [Hi-Res SACD Rip]
SACD-ISO / DSD / 1bit / 2.8224MHz
FLAC Tracks / 24bit / 88.2kHz
Stereo & Multichannel | Digital Booklet Included
Total Size: 3.51 GB (FLAC) + 3.18 GB (ISO) | 3% RAR Recovery
Label: Channel Classics | Austria | Cat#: CCS SA 26007 | Genre: Classical

The transcription of Shostakovich quartets for larger forces goes back over four decades to Rudolf Barshai’s version of the Eighth. The Amsterdam Sinfonietta’s new disc, however, has less to do with transcription per se than realising the quartets directly for larger forces: other than the writing of a double bass part (by Marijn van Prooij), this is essentially chamber music “writ large”. In the case of the Fourth Quartet, the gains are marginal; in particular, the poise of the slow movement and simmering defiance of the finale are lessened when the music is projected in this way. Barshai’s own transcription (DG, 12/05) is more interventionist, but also more attuned to the work’s distinctly intimate intensity.
Curious that the Second is among the last of the quartets to be given orchestral treatment, as its symphonic weight and expressive range make it the most suitable in any case. The Amsterdam group respond with playing of tremendous dynamism in the “Overture” and sustained gravitas in the “Recitative and Romance” (leader Candida Thompson on imperious form). Nor are the uneasy half-lights of the “Waltz” (with its startling revisiting of Fourth Symphony ideas in the trio) or powerful momentum of the “Theme with Variations” undersold in a work which often promises more than it delivers. For this alone, the disc deserves a strong recommendation, with superbly engineered sound an additional enhancement. Perhaps these forces might now turn to the Fifth and Twelfth – Shostakovich’s two finest quartets, which have so far scared away prospective transcribers. ― gramophone.co.uk

Tracklist
01. String Quartet No. 4 in D major Op 83: Allegretto – 04:02
02. String Quartet No. 4 in D major Op 83: Andantino – 06:29
03. String Quartet No. 4 in D major Op 83: Allegretto – 04:32
04. String Quartet No. 4 in D major Op 83: Allegretto – 09:50
05. String Quartet No. 2 in A major Op 68: Overture (Moderato con moto) – 08:35
06. String Quartet No. 2 in A major Op 68: Recitative and Romance (Adagio) – 12:06
07. String Quartet No. 2 in A major Op 68: Waltz (Allegro) – 05:48
08. String Quartet No. 2 in A major Op 68: Theme with Variations (Adagio) – 12:04

———————-
DYNAMIC RANGE
SACD-ISO | SACD-FLAC

DOWNLOAD FROM
LMA_AMSI.2007.SSQ.2.4_SACD-FLAC-MCH.rar
LMA_AMSI.2007.SSQ.2.4_SACD-FLAC-STEREO.rar
LMA_AMSI.2007.SSQ.2.4_SACD-ISO.rar
———————-

If you encounter broken links or other problem about this publication, please let me know and write your comment below. I will reply and fix as soon as possible.