Of War and Peace

Of War and Peace

Alexander Borodin - String Quartet No. 1 in A
- intermission -
Dimitri Shostakovich- String Quartet No. 3 in F, Op 73

Alexander Borodin’s first Quartet, praised by critics as “Russia’s first great piece of chamber music”, cemented his place as one of the great composers of his era. This work betrays his true profession as a professor of Chemistry, with experimentations of beautiful melodies, energetic passages and solemn folk tunes. The promise shown in this maiden effort in the string quartet medium led to even greater success in Borodin’s second Quartet, one of the most popular works in the chamber music genre.

Dimitri Shostakovich wrote his 3rd string quartet in the dark period between the end of the 2nd World War and the beginning of the Cold War. Nationalistic sentiments dictated that Shostakovich presented this work as a “war quartet”, including subtitles for each of the 5 movements which he later withdrew. This work begins with a impish opening that gradually descends into chaos and and anarchy, leading to a very wistful and melancholic close.

With this program, T'ang Quartet hopes to bring the audience through an emotional rollercoaster of war and, the beauty and tranquility of peace.