REFLECTIONS – Shostakovich, Bacewicz

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“As a string quartet of the 21st century, we are searching for the meaning of the music we perform. Our goal is to convey the image which emanates from the music in the most authentic way.”

The music by Dmitri Shostakovich has been both renounced and embraced. The receptive history of his music has been coloured by the fierce battle between supporters and opponents of his music to this day. On their new album REFLECTIONS, the Dudok Quartet Amsterdam presents a plea for ambiguity in music of the 20th century.

The Dudoks themselves grew up within a musical climate which rendered contradictions absolute and left little room for polyphony. Modernism or conservatism, submission or resistance, craftsmanship or creativity: both with Shostakovich and Grażyna Bacewicz these oppositions manifest themselves as a key element of their compositional process. The music which flowed from their pencils therefore still compels a 21st century audience to relate to its own doubts and uncertainties; a conclusive interpretation would only marginalize a different possibility.

Both the main works of this album offer the musicians an exuberant roller coaster ride. In terms of ensemble playing and instrumental mastery, the music demands extreme measures from the players, leading to a breath-taking and multi-layered listening experience for the audience. To link the string quartets by Shostakovich and Bacewicz together, the members of the Dudok Quartet immersed themselves in their compositional style and techniques. Writing and recording new arrangements of Shostakovich’s Preludes for piano Op.34 gave the Dudoks a chance to relive the compositional process in a new and enhanced way. This recording features the world première of these new arrangements.