String Quartet No. 13 (Shostakovich)

Dmitri Shostakovich's String Quartet No. 13 in B-flat minor, Op. 138, was first conceived in 1969, and completed in 1970 as Shostakovich was undergoing treatment at an orthopedic clinic in Kurgan.

The work consists of one movement:

  1. Adagio — Doppio movimento — Tempo primo

Playing time is approximately 19 minutes.

The piece was dedicated to Vadim Borisovsky, violist of the Beethoven Quartet, and the viola is accordingly given a prominent role in the piece. The quartet opens with a twelve-tone row played on the viola, and concludes with a long viola solo in the high register. The work also requires the players to tap on the bodies of their instruments with their bows at several points; such techniques had become almost commonplace in the West by this time, but were not typically used in Soviet music of this period.

References
  • Matthew-Walker, Robert (2002). Shostakovich: String Quartets Nos 11, 13 & 15 (PDF) (CD). Hyperion Records. CDA67157. Retrieved 2019-09-27.
  • Wilson, Elizabeth (1994). Shostakovich: A Life Remembered. Princeton University Press. ISBN 0-691-04465-1.
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