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Shostakovich: Life, Letters & Friendship

,Milton Court Concert Hall
Carducci Quartet

Experience the intense emotional power of Shostakovich’s String Quartets as the Carducci Quartet paint an intimate portrait of the great composer through music and spoken word.

Take a journey deep into Shostakovich’s psyche, as he walked a delicate tightrope balancing political pragmatism with personal expression against the backdrop of Josef Stalin’s tyrannical Soviet regime. Historical sources and letters from the composer to one of his closest confidantes, read by actor and director Samuel West, are paired with extracts from contemporaneous quartets, painting a fascinating picture of how music offered a much-needed emotional outlet in the most difficult of times.

Guiding you through the perilous politics and personal highs and lows are the Carducci Quartet. One of the UK’s leading string quartets, their credentials as leading interpreters of Shostakovich were cemented in 2015 with an ambitious, seven-hour marathon of all 15 quartets – a five-star undertaking The Guardian described as ‘truly extraordinary’.

Tagged with: Classical music Classical Music Multibuy - Sep–Dec 2021 Barbican Presents

This performance will finish at approximately 9.30pm, including a 20 minute interval.

Produced by the Barbican

Programme

  • Dmitri Shostakovich   A selection of movements from string quartets:
  •   Allegretto (Polka) for String Quartet
  •   I. 'Moderato' from String Quartet No 1 in C major
  •   I. 'Overture: Moderato con moto' from String Quartet No 2 in A major
  •   I. 'Allegretto' & II. 'Andantino' from String Quartet No 4 in D major
  •   I. 'Allegretto' from String Quartet No 7 in F-sharp minor
  •   I. 'Largo' and II. 'Allegro Molto' from String Quartet No 8 in C minor
  •   III. 'Adagio' from String Quartet No 10 in A-flat major
  •   IV. 'Etude: Allegro' & V. 'Humouresque Allegro' from String Quartet No 11 in F minor
  •   String Quartet No 13 in B-flat minor
  •   IV. 'Epilogue' from String Quartet No 15 in E-flat minor

Performers

  • Carducci Quartet  
  • Samuel West   narrator

Digital Programme

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Milton Court Concert Hall

Location
Milton Court Concert Hall is located within the Guildhall School of Music and Drama and is approximately a 5 minute walk from the Barbican entrance on Silk Street.  

Address
Milton Court
Silk St, London
EC2Y 9BH

Nearby public transport
We are within walking distance from a number of London Underground stations, the closest being Barbican, Old Street, St Paul’s and Moorgate. The nearest train stations are Liverpool Street and Farringdon. Bus Route 153 runs directly past the Barbican along Chiswell Street

Car and bicycle parking
We have free bicycle spaces and paid car parking spaces available