In 1975, in the peace and quiet of his Zhukovka dacha, far from the hustle and bustle of the city, Dmitri Shostakovich composed his last work, the Sonata for Viola and Piano, Op. 147. This place was his refuge, the place where his thoughts took shape, where each note became a confidence. But this work is not just a musical testament, it is also a gift, a token of brotherhood. He addressed it to the violist Fiodor Droujinine, his friend and faithful performer, a member of the Beethoven Quartet, with whom he created his quartets from the tenth onwards. Between them, it was not just a question of collaboration, but of absolute trust, of a soul-to-soul dialogue in which music became language.
It is this dacha, at once intimate and timeless, that we wanted to evoke in this recording; a place where Shostakovich offered his last notes to his friend, where music sealed an unbreakable fraternity.
Alongside the Sonata, we have brought together works that, each in their own way, weave the thread of this story. The recently rediscovered Impromptu reveals another facet of the composer, while Arvo Pärt’s Fratres resonates with a timeless meditation. Jean-Paul Dessy’s DSCH is a vibrant tribute to the master’s indelible imprint, while Anne Martin’s Cette colline celebrates the memory and legacy of Fyodor Druzhinin.
