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Alfred Schnittke MSQ enjoyed a special rapport with Alfred Schnittke. In Moscow in 1980, the MSQ premiered his Second Quartet. During the recording of this piece the composer himself worked as the sound producer. Members of the MSQ have especially significant memories related to the performance of this piece during the fall of the Berlin Wall. Willie Brandt organized a commemoration of the event at the Berlin Stadium, where the Moscow String Quartet was invited to play this composition. The composer himself was the guest of honor at that celebration. The New Russian World wrote: “…today, many years after its composition, its influence seems to be even more vivid and strong. I believe that it is mainly due to the outstanding interpretation of the Moscow String Quartet, for which this Schnittke piece became not only a constant part of the repertoire, but a sort of business card as well.” The MSQ also constantly performs Schnittke’s First and Third Quartets, and the Canon in Memory of Stravinsky, as well as the Piano Quintet with many outstanding pianists including Gary Graffman, with whom they made a recording. In 1990, Alfred Schnittke wrote, “After the Borodin Quartet, the Moscow String Quartet is the leading exponent of my music and of contemporary Soviet music in general. They have performed my First Quartet on numerous occasions, and were the first performers of my Second Quartet, which was composed especially for them and designed for their unique musical personalities. The quartet also performs all of my chamber music regularly in the USSR, Europe and the U.S.A. This extraordinary ensemble distinguishes itself with refined musical style, an unusually beautiful sound and palette of colors, and a tremendous artistic temperament. The Moscow String Quartet is, in my opinion, one of the most outstanding quartets in the world today.
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