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Dmitri Shostakovich suffered from lung cancer, his legs and hands were paralysed, turning the last years of his life into an ordeal. Though composing is almost impossible for him under these circumstances, in a very short period of time, he writes his sonata for viola and piano, which would become his musical testament.

Due to his numerous chamber music works Moscow composer Paul Juon was known as »Russian Brahms« to music critics of his time. He liked to experiment with neo-classical techniques à la Stravinsky. His trio miniatures, however, still belong to the late Romantic period.

The four movements of the Fourth String Quartet were composed in 1949, at a time when Shostakovich, under pressure from  the Stalinist regime, was putting his large orchestral works on hold and retreating into the more intimate world of chamber music. This attitude of inner emigration has a noticeable influence on the string quartet. Without any pathos, it unfolds a lyrical, melancholic tone, only occasionally brightened by light-footed, almost dance-like moments. In the finale, melodies from Jewish folk music emerge – one of the reasons why Shostakovich did not publish the work until after Stalin's death.