St George's Concert Brodsky Quartet; Shostakovich Cycle I

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BRODSKY QUARTET: SHOSTAKOVICH CYCLE I THE WORLD CHANGED - Promoters St George's Bristol. Shostakovich String Quartet No 1 in C String Quartet No 2 in A String Quartet No 3 in F The cycle opens with a work utterly deserving of the title ‘masterpiece'. A seemingly simple work, it was composed against the backdrop of the birth of his son and the triumphant premiere of his Fifth Symphony. Its untroubled nature continues through theQuartet No 2 and the first movement of the Quartet No 3. In the later movements of the Quartet No 3, we encounter the first ‘rumblings of unrest and anticipation' and ‘the forces of war unleashed'. The final movement ‘The eternal question — Why? And for what?' is a passionate set of variations reflecting on the destruction of Leningrad during World War II. This concert coincides with Back from the Front — Art, Memory and the Aftermath of War, a programme of exhibitions and events at the RWA commemorating the start of The Great War, and 75th anniversary of the start of the Second World War. It explores the theme of conflict and memory across a series of interrelated exhibitions including Brothers in Art: John and Paul Nash; Shock and Awe, and The Death of Nature. The exhibition and programme is supported by Arts Council England, the Bristol Cultural Development Partnership and the University of the West of England, Bristol.