Our autumn series of Lunchtime Concerts is dedicated to Shostakovich's chamber works, complementing Gianandrea Noseda's symphony cycle with the LSO.

The Fourth Quartet was composed under the shadow of the infamous Zhdanov Doctrine, in which Shostakovich, as well as other prominent Soviet composers, was officially denounced. Like many of his works, including the First Violin Concerto, the quartet was put into a drawer and remained unperformed until Stalin's death.

Shostakovich’s work is complemented by Beethoven's Quartet in F minor, which is often referred to as the ‘Serioso’, with its urgent, violent intensity. However, in the final bars, the atmosphere shifts to one of unrelenting joy, dismissing the weight of the rest of the work in 30 seconds flat. It might just be the greatest musical punch line of all time.