Back to the chocolate teapot factory today, whereupon I discovered that an awful lot of teapot lids had gone astray while I was on holiday. To soothe my poor frayed nerves, I listened to some thoroughly traumatic music:

  • Stefan Wolpe – String Quartet
  • Earle Brown – String Quartet (1965)
  • Cage – String Quartet in Four Parts (1951)
  • Leon Kirchner – Quartet no. 3 for String Quartet and Electronic Tape (1967)
  • Christian Wolff – Summer (1961)
  • George Crumb – Black Angels (1970)
  • Shostakovich – Symphony no. 13 (Järvi/Gothenburg SO)
  • Shostakovich – Symphony no. 15 (Järvi/Gothenburg SO)

Järvi’s Shostakovich 7 is a recording I’ve long admired, and the two I listened to today don’t disappoint either. 13 contrasts fascinatingly with Ashkenazy’s reading – Järvi only takes a couple of minutes more, but manages to sound controlled and taut where Ashkenazy brings about a rushed mess. And although Järvi’s scherzo in the 15th is a little lumpy for my liking, the balance between the percussion instruments at the very end of the finale is one of the best I’ve heard, and utterly electrifying.

In the car, I’ve had on the Sarah Records Air Balloon Road compilation.