If Shostakovich was hip, if Shostakovich was cool, if Shostakovich was edgy, then this set of his string quartets by England's Brodsky Quartet would be by far the best set of the works ever recorded. If his First Quartet was wry, if his Fourth Quartet was ironic, if his Seventh Quartet was brittle, if his Ninth Quartet was chilly, if his Twelfth Quartet was sarcastic, if his Fifteenth Quartet was in any manner, shape or form objective, then the Brodsky Quartet's interpretations would be absolutely appropriate. Of course, the Brodsky Quartet is a first-rate group with a tight tone, a hard intonation and an impeccable ensemble, and even when Shostakovich puts the pedal to the metal in the Finale of Twelfth Quartet, they never miss a rhythmic trick. But there's more going on in Shostakovich than hip and cool and edgy. There's heart and soul. There's height and depth. There's morality and integrity. And while no one would say the Brodsky lack those qualities, few would assert that those qualities are enough in evidence here. For Shostakovich Quartet performances that get it, try the Borodin or the Taneyev or the Beethoven or even the Shostakovich Quartets' recordings of the works. For brilliantly post-modernist recordings that are arguably too hip, too cool and too edgy for the music's own good, try the Brodsky's.
Teldec's sound is clear but slightly hooded, close but slightly muted, direct but slightly reserved.