In 1992 at the Dartington Summer School I have listened to almost a complete cycle of Dmitry Shostakovich's String Quartets in the impressive performance by the Brodsky Quartet. This is why I decided to compose my own new piece in that genre. Very soon, by a happy coincidence, I received from the South Bank Festival the commission to write a new string quartet. I was in the middle of my work, when I was told that it will be played by the Brodsky...