Borodin quartet to play Shostakovich in Seoul

One of Russia’s oldest string quartets will perform at the Seoul Arts Center as part of a world tour celebrating its 60th anniversary.
The Borodin String Quartet is well known in Korea following a sold-out concert in Seoul two years ago that ended with a standing ovation.
The ensemble consists of violinists Ruben Aharonian and Andrei Abramenkov, violist Igor Naidin and cellist Valentin Berlinsky, who has performed with the quartet from its inception.
Originally formed in 1945 by students of the Moscow Conservatoire as the Moscow Philharmonic Quartet, it adopted its current name in 1955.
The Borodin Quartet is known for its close relationship with composer Dmitri Shostakovich, whose work will be performed in the Seoul concert. Shostakovich thought so highly of the ensemble that he often asked the quartet to perform his own works privately before premiering them in public.
The group celebrated its 60th anniversary and Berlinsky’s 80th birthday in Moscow with concerts in January.
After a concert in London’s Wigmore Hall in May, The Guardian said, “the Borodins’ combination of Berlinsky’s experience and the youth of the three other players resulted in exciting music-making.”
The Daily Telegraph reported that, “their long experience of the music, far from dulling their response to it, has only served to deepen their interpretive insight.”
The quartet has performed with famous artists such as cellists Mstislav Rostropovich and Natalia Gutman, and violist Yuri Bashmet, who will perform at the Seoul Arts Center on Oct. 19.
The ensemble will play quartets by Beethoven and Shostakovich, including the latters’ Quartet No. 15 (“Candles”), which was included in their 50th anniversary tour.

by Limb Jae-un

The concert is at 8 p.m. next Tuesday at Seoul Arts Center. Ticket prices are 30,000 won ($29) to 80,000 won. For more information, visit www.sac.or.kr/eng/.