Axiom Quartet Will Perform UNBROKEN: The Shostakovich Cycle 50 Years Later

In its landmark 12th Season, Axiom Quartet has announced UNBROKEN, the complete cycle of Dmitri Shostakovich’s 15 string quartets performed across seven concerts during the 2025–2026 Season. This marks what is believed to be the first-ever live presentation of the full cycle in Houston.

Performances of the complete Shostakovich quartets are exceptionally rare—typically presented only once a year, and almost exclusively in major European cultural centers. Only a handful of quartets worldwide have ever taken on the full cycle. For Houston audiences, UNBROKEN is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to experience these intimate and historically rich masterpieces as they were intended: live, unfiltered, and immediate.

"I think it's a privilege to be able to explore an entire cycle of works by a composer of the magnitude of Shostakovich. Unlike his more public symphonies, Shostakovich's quartets feel like his secret diary- raw, vulnerable, and profoundly human,” says Timothy Peters, Axiom violinist. 

Composed over four decades, Shostakovich’s quartets served as a private artistic diary through the oppressive realities of Stalinist Russia. Written with irony, defiance, and coded emotion—often in secret—these works convey the inner life of an artist forced to navigate the razor’s edge between state censorship and personal truth. Some quartets were hidden away for years, waiting for a safer time to be heard.

To expand the context of Shostakovich’s voice, each UNBROKEN concert will be paired with a work by a composer writing outside the Soviet Union during the same period. These companion pieces—by Hans Gál, Alan Hovhaness, Ben Johnston, Heitor Villa-Lobos, Elizabeth Maconchy, and George Rochberg—reflect their own struggles with exile, war, marginalization, and ideological conflict. Despite these challenges, their music speaks with clarity and conviction, reminding us that across borders and eras, the creative spirit endures.

Through these powerful juxtapositions, Axiom Quartet invites audiences to hear Shostakovich not in isolation, but in dialogue—with his peers, his time, and the human capacity for resilience.

In life, Shostakovich was a paradox—guarded yet brave, enigmatic yet honest. In death, his voice remains UNBROKEN: searing, satirical, and achingly human.

For full program details, season tickets, and venue information, visit www.axiomquartet.com.

Axiom Quartet, a designated 501 (c)(3) organization based in Houston, Texas, is celebrated across the state for its inventive programs.  Axiom is dedicated to bringing the stories of composers, musicians, artists, and communities to life through music, conversation, and innovative multi-disciplinary presentations, often joined by prominent subject matter experts and academic and cultural luminaries.   Their performances embody the highest levels of artistic excellence and historical integrity, delivering deeply evocative interpretations that resonate with audiences from all walks of life.  Axiom Quartet embraces both established masterworks and compositions from underrepresented repertoires, ensuring a diverse and enriching musical experience.  Their dynamic interactions with audiences—sharing personalities, insights, and historical perspectives—create an inviting, engaging, and deeply personal connection to the music.