I am not a specialist in recordings of the Shostakovich quartets, but I have heard parts of the cycles by the Brodsky, St. Petersburg, Borodin, and Fitzwilliam quartets. Eventually I bought a complete set with the Emergson Quartet on DG, the acknowledged front-runenrs in this repertorie for their unparalelled virtuosity and invidiucal musicianship. Along the way, however, I noticed that this group on Olympia, the Shostakovich Quartet, played with a soulful intensity and songful passion lacking in the Emersons.This generous (73 min.) CD containing Quartets #12-14 was recorded in Moscow across a wide span from 1980 to 1988, yet the style is of a piece: these are intensely felt readings of strange, spare, somber music. Making it speak is difficult, yet the Shostakovich kept me riveted. The sonics are close and at times a bit wiry. I wish there was more public recognition for this fine ensemble, formed in 1967 and specializing, as their name implies, in a passionate advocacy of Shostakovich's works. These are impassioned performances, a trait I find in the other installments of their cycle. Several CDs are selling at Amazon marketplace absurdly cheaply, and I felt somebody needed to speak up for their great musicality.