DSCH & Beyond

DSCH and Beyond, a quick summary and a few logos of sponsors

In 2024 and 2025, the Eliot Quartett will perform all 15 quartets by Dmitri Shostakovich, combining them with works by other composers thematically connected to Shostakovich’s music. Shostakovich’s chamber music will be reflected as if in a prism, portraying various themes and epochs across 12 concerts. The Eliot Quartett will celebrate its 10th birthday with this unique and deeply personal project.

Media about “DSCH & beyond”:

3rd concert of the ‘DSCH & beyond’ cycle was recorded and broadcasted by hr2-Kultur:
“DSCH & beyond”, hr2-kultur

“DSCH & beyond” in the Classical Music Magazine – “The virtuous cycle” by Claire Jackson
https://www.classical-music.uk/features/article/the-virtuous-cycle

“Maryana Osipova, Alexander Sachs (violins), Dmitry Hahalin (viola), and Michael Preuss (cello) handled it excellently: in high musical culture as a masterfully crafted piece full of harmony, with charm and lightness.”
Frankfurter Allgemeiner Zeitung, 09.02.24,

“The Eliot Quartet, founded in 2014 and based in Frankfurt am Main, is one of the most successful string quartets. <…> Now Maryana Osipova, Alexander Sachs, Dmitry Hahalin, and Michael Preuß have set themselves the goal of performing all fifteen string quartets by Dmitri Shostakovich by the summer of 2025.“
Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, 07.02.2024

Concert programs and dates:

Do., 8. Februar 2024, 19:30

No. 1, Shostakovich. Opening Concert
(with Vadym Kholodenko, piano)

Dmitri Shostakovich, String Quartet No. 1 in C Major, Op. 49
Anton Webern, String Quartet Op. 28
Dmitri Shostakovich, Piano Quintet in G Minor, Op. 57

Both Shostakovich’s 1st String Quartet and Anton Webern’s last complete chamber music work were composed in 1938. A fascinating juxtaposition of two musical languages is rounded off in the second half by Shostakovich’s brilliant Piano Quintet.

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Do., 22. Februar 2024, 19:30

No. 2, Shostakovich and Russian Music

From “Les Vendredis” for String Quartet
Igor Stravinsky, 3 Pieces for String Quartet
Dmitri Shostakovich, String Quartet No. 2 in A Major, Op. 68

This program showcases the influences of the Russian school of composition on Shostakovich’s works. Among all of Shostakovich’s quartets, the 2nd Quartet in particular exhibits distinctly Russian sound colours.

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Do., 25. April 2024, 19:30

No. 3, Shostakovich and the Viennese Classical Period

Dmitri Shostakovich, String Quartet No. 4 in D Major, Op. 83
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, String Quartet in F Major, K. 590 `Prussian`
Dmitri Shostakovich, String Quartet No. 3 in F Major, Op. 73

Shostakovich’s 3rd String Quartet, which contains many elements reminiscent of Viennese Classicism, is presented alongside Mozart’s 3rd Prussian Quartet. The program is complemented by Shostakovich’s introspective 4th Quartet.

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Do., 6. Juni 2024, 19:30

No. 4, Shostakovich and Romanticism

Anton Webern, “Langsamer Satz” for String Quartet
Dmitri Shostakovich, String Quartet No, 5 in B-Flat Major, Op. 92
Franz Schubert, String Quartet in A Minor, D. 804 “Rosamunde”

Shostakovich’s “symphonic” 5th String Quartet is framed by two significant works from early and late romanticism.

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Do., 10. Oktober 2024, 19:30

No. 5, Shostakovich and the Grotesque

Joseph Haydn, String Quartet in G Minor, Op. 20 No. 3
Dmitri Shostakovich, String Quartet No. 6 in G Major, Op. 101
Dmitri Shostakovich, Elegy and Polka for String Quartet
Joseph Haydn, String Quartet in D Major, Op. 33 No. 5

Shostakovich’s 6^th String Quartet hints at the composer’s deep respect for the father of the genre, Joseph Haydn. Consisting of works by Shostakovich and Haydn, this program, explores various facets of humour and the grotesque in music.

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Do., 14. November 2024, 19:30

No. 6, Shostakovich and Folklore
(with Lilit Grigoryan, piano)

Sergey Prokofiev, String Quartet in F Major No. 2 ‘on Kabardinian Themes’
Dmitri Shostakovich, Piano Trio No. 2 in E Minor, Op. 67
Maurice Ravel, String Quartet in F Major

Folklore plays a central role in Shostakovich’s work. His 2^nd piano trio, which is filled with Jewish melodies, is juxtaposed with quartets by Prokofiev and Ravel, which are strongly influenced by folklore. Prokofiev uses themes from the music of the Kabardinians, a tribe from the Caucasus Mountains, and Ravel draws on Basque folk rhythms.

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Do., 28. November 2024, 19:30

No. 7, Shostakovich and Bach

Johann Sebastian Bach, from “The Art of Fugue”
Dmitri Shostakovich, String Quartet No. 7 in F-sharp Minor, Op. 108
Dmitri Shostakovich, String Quartet No. 8 in C Minor, Op. 110

In this program, two of Shostakovich’s most well-known quartets are presented together with one of his most important sources of inspiration: the musical world of J.S. Bach.

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Do., 12. Dezember 2024, 19:30

No. 8, Shostakovich’s Overcoming

Sofia Gubaidulina, Reflections on the Theme ´B-A-C-H´
Valentin Silvestrov, String Quartet No. 3
Arvo Pärt, “Fratres”
Dmitri Shostakovich, String Quartet No. 9 in E-flat Major, Op. 117

In addition to his impressive 9th String Quartet, this program features music of Soviet composers from the next generation after Shostakovich. Their music was strongly influenced by Shostakovich, as they only later developed their own musical languages.

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Do., 06. Februar 2025, 19:30

No. 9, Shostakovich and his Circle of Friends

Dmitri Shostakovich, String Quartet No. 11 in F Minor, Op. 122
Krzysztof Meyer, String Quartet No. 6
Mieczysław Weinberg, Aria, Op. 9
Dmitri Shostakovich, String Quartet No. 10 in A-flat Major, Op. 118

Shostakovich dedicated his 10th String Quartet to his colleague and friend Mieczysław Weinberg, whose Aria op. 9 is presented just before the 10^th quartet. Shostakovich’s 11^th String Quartet preceeds the highly expressive 6^th String Quartet by Krzysztof Meyer, who was close friends with Weinberg and Shostakovich.

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Do., 13. März 2025, 19:30

No. 10, Shostakovich the Pioneer

Ludwig van Beethoven, Grosse Fuge, Op. 133
Witold Lutoslawski, String Quartet
Dmitri Shostakovich, String Quartet No. 12 in D-flat Major, Op. 133

In writing his two-movement 12th String Quartet, Shostakovich employs the twelve-tone technique, an exceptionally unusual approach for the composer. In this program, two groundbreaking milestones of the history of music are presented alongside this unique work: Beethoven’s “Grosse Fuge” and Lutosławski’s String Quartet which was composed four years before Shostakovich’s 12th Quartet and also structured in two movements.

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Do., 15. Mai 2025, 19:30

No. 11, Shostakovich and the Lower Strings

Dmitri Shostakovich, String Quartet No. 13 in B Minor, Op. 138
Johannes Brahms, String Quartet in B-flat Major, Op. 67
Dmitri Shostakovich, String Quartet No. 13 in F-sharp Major, Op. 142

Shostakovich dedicated his 13th String Quartet to the violist and his 14th String Quartet to the cellist of the Beethoven Quartet, an ensemble with which Shostakovich had a close and longstanding connection. The lower strings also feature very prominently in Brahms´ Quartet op. 67.

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Do., 3. Juli 2025, 19:30

No. 12, Shostakovich Immortal

Dmitri Shostakovich, String Quartet no. 15 in E-flat Minor, Op. 144
Ludwig van Beethoven, String Quartet in C-sharp Minor, Op. 131

Op. 131 is considered by many to be Beethoven’s most innovative and at the same time, most personal, of his works. The 7 movements, which are played without any breaks, can be interpreted as a cross-section of an entire human life, ending with a triumphant call to discover new musical worlds. Shostakovich’s 15th String Quartet, also composed without a break between any of its 6 movements, is equally as personal as Beethoven’s op. 131 despite being marked by the premonition of his imminent death and presenting a much darker, melancholy outlook on the end of life.

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