Shostakovich: Andantino From Quartet No. 4, Op. 83/DSCH

Category: Violin and Piano ** Title: Andantino from Quartet No. 4, Op. 83 ** Composer: Dmitri Shostakovich ** Arranged by: Dmitri Tsyganov ** Publisher: DSCH Edition ** Difficulty: A4/A5.

This tragically beautiful Andantino from Shostakovichs String Quartet No. 4, Op. 83 was transcribed for violin and piano by Dmitri Tsyganov. As a violinist and member of the Beethoven Quartet, which premiered many of Shostakovichs string quartets, Tsyganov was certainly familiar with the composers writing for the quartet medium. The melody of the Andantino begins softly, with a subdued quality, then gradually builds up to a high, wailing climax, and then recedes to nearly nothing, ending with a morendo marking (literally "dying away"). In the quartet, this is the second movement; in this arrangement, it quite capably stands alone.