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Dmitry Shostakovich: The Complete String Quartets
Rubio String Quartet: Dirk Van de Velde (violin 1), Dirk Van den Hauwe (violin 2), Marc Sonnaert (viola), Peter Devos (cello).
Vol. 1: String Quartet No. 1 in C major, Op. 49; String Quartet No. 4 in D major, Op. 83; String Quartet No. 8 in C minor, Op. 110.
Globe GLO 5157. DDD. TT 60:45.
Recorded Aug. 1996, Utrecht.
Vol. 2: String Quartet No. 3 in F major, Op. 73; String Quartet No. 15 in Eb minor, Op. 144.
Globe GLO 5171. DDD. TT 66:04.
Recorded Sept. 1997, Utrecht.

These two discs proved to be a most pleasant surprise, for I had not previously encountered this group, and was not expecting great things. The Flemish Rubio Quartet have been playing together since 1991, clearly sufficient time to have coalesced a common musical purpose, with extremely precise coordination among the four musicians. Their approach to the Shostakovich quartets is fresh and thought-provoking, so it should come as no surprise that the comparison that continually came to mind when listening to these performances was the Fitzwilliam Quartet (their Shostakovich cycle is available anew on Decca/London boxed set 289455776-2) - exalted company indeed.

To see what I mean by the freshness of these readings, one need only listen to the First Quartet. As a composition, it is straightforward in mood, and the Rubio Quartet play it in a straightforward manner, yet I doubt that the first movement has ever sounded more innocent. The Rubios emphasise the dance-like qualities of the quartet as a whole.

Theirs is not a complacent, polished reading of the Third Quartet, but rather a fully-involved, purposeful one. Much attention is paid to rhythmic detail, stressing the variety contained in each movement, most notably the first. The accompanying notes make much of the titles which Shostakovich noted above each movement in the autograph score. Those are likely a red herring, but the third movement, entitled "The forces of war unleashed", is indeed played with stark brutality, with the emphasis on the staccato markings. The following Adagio is that much more mournful in contrast, and genuinely moving once one gets over the huskiness of the cello tone (which I suspect is as much the fault of the recording acoustics as of the instrument - curiously, the last movement is richer-toned than the preceding movements). Though I'm not a fan of the Rubio's slow take on the climax of the finale, this certainly did not strike me as out of context relative to what precedes and follows.

The Rubio Quartet are keen to highlight the rhythmic peculiarities of the Fourth Quartet. The striking opening of the first movement is delivered with power, before relaxing into what ends up verging on a waltz. They emphasise the syncopations in the second movement, but not for mere effect, and it comes off as genuinely poignant. On the minus side, the Jewish themes in the last movement are not particularly idiomatic, their legato lacking Semitic sinuosity, and that movement as a whole tends to drag. There are also a few questionable notes under the duress of the more intense passages.

That last criticism adheres even more firmly to the second movement of the Eighth Quartet, the Rubio's resources stretched to the breaking point. At the speed with which they tear through, they simply do not have enough force to apply to each note to make much of an emotional impact. Altogether, this entry is my least favourite among the current batch of quartets. I found my attention fixating on the accuracy of the notes rather than the music behind them. This is not an ordinary composition, and to my mind at least, it needs to be played with some sense of what's at stake. This performance left me neither shaken nor stirred.

Happily, quite the reverse holds for this team's reading of the Fifteenth Quartet. The Rubio's sensitivity to rhythm is especially conspicuous throughout. Listen to how pulse is maintained at a rock-steady pace throughout the expansive first section, Elegy; even in the pauses one feels the forward momentum. The searing waves of superheated sound that lead into the next section (those notes rising from ppp to sffff) put to rest any residual concern that this quartet is technically deficient where it counts. The Rubios do "ghostly" very well indeed, and the Nocturne had my hairs standing on end. In sum, this is a Fifteenth that gives the impression of coming from the other side of the grave.

Although these would not be a first recommendation, they contain much to admire, and I'm looking forward to future entries in this cycle. Those on a budget might wish to skip Volume 1 and that disappointing Eighth.

W. Mark Roberts
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DSCH No. 10.
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