Editorial Review:

Amazon.com's Best of 2000:
Can an American string quartet grasp the power of Shostakovich's 15 string quartets? By the sounds of this incredible cycle, the answer is a resounding Yes! Capturing every nuance of Shostakovich's emotionally gripping, sometimes humorous, often angst-filled compositions, the Emersons deliver very likely the finest performances of these works available. --Jason Verlinde

Rating: - American-Style Borscht...with a Dash of Hot Sauce
Dmitri Shostakovich, my favorite 20th century composer, wrote a series of fifteen string quartets that span his entire career. These are alternately searing, violent, brooding, fiery, introspective works that run the gamut of human emotion and experience -- hardly beautiful, and often quite depressing. But man, do they pack a wallop! They're often considered the greatest creations in the string quartet genre since Beethoven, and it's easy to see why.

These were recorded in live performance ... Read More

---

Rating: - Powerful, sometimes devastating
This would be a bargain at almost any price, and the depth of emotional intensity that the Emerson brings to a live performance -- I saw them on a sticky evening at Ravinia in summer 2006, playing the last three quartets -- is evident in this stunning studio collection. In addition to the climactic quartets, don't miss the Eighth. Happy 100th birthday, Dmitri.

---

Rating: - a shame!
These guys used to be decent players, but their playing have gotten worse over the years. They have no understanding of Shostakovich's music, but then again who does? These extraordinary works deserve extraordinary interpretations and nobody has yet offered definitve performances yet. Meanwhile, Fitwilliam and Debussy quartet offer very good performance of some of these works.

---

Rating: - Could not be a better 8th
Just saw the Emerson do the 8th at the Amelia Island chamber music summer program. It is not possible that there is a better performance of this work. Moving beyond belief.

---

Rating: - Fitzwilliam versus Ermerson -- which to choose?
For many buyers the choice for a complete cycle of the Shostakovich quartets will come down to three: the Borodin, Emerson, and Fitzwilliam quartets. I own the latter two and can offer a comparison.

Fitzwilliam: This set, made between 1975-77 in a church in Surrey, has the advantage of price. Although the 15 quartets are spread out over 6 CDs as compared to 5 for the Emersons, Decca offers this cycle at roughly half the cost of the DG cycle (it's even cheaper on the used market). The performances ... Read More