Shostakovich composed his Eighth String Quartet within just a few days during a visit to Dresden in the summer of 1960. Months earlier, he had been forced to become a member of the Communist Party. Arguably the best known and most personal among his quartets, Shostakovich regarded this piece as a sort of personal requiem, privately dedicating it “to the memory of the composer of this quartet,” as he wrote in a letter to Isaak Glikman. Continuing its chronological presentation of Shostakovich’s complete string quartets, the Hagen Quartett performs the work together with Quartets Nos. 7 and 9.

We regret that this concert has to be cancelled due to a case of Covid in the ensemble. A possible new date will be announced later. Ticket holders will automatically receive a credit to their customer account. If you would prefer to be refunded to your bank account, please contact us at tickets@boulezsaal.de and provide the transaction number (visible on the top right of your ticket) and your IBAN or bank account details.