Shostakovich’s quartets, like those of Beethoven and Bartok before him, span his entire creative period, beginning in 1938 with his First Quartet and ending in 1974 with his 15th Quartet.  It is a remarkable achievement.

Nicolas Slonimsky has written the following of the Eighth Quartet:

"Shostakovich is undoubtedly the most remarkable symphonist of the 20th century.  And since string quartets are symphonies in miniature, it is natural that they should reflect his symphonic compositional concepts.  Prolific and consistent, Shostakovich rarely strays from his traditional four movement design. Various alterations to their character and order are often played with and occasionally a 5th movement is added in order to create a central movement.

"His long slow movements are well known and his supremely confident capacity to maintain the inner logic of musical expression is one his hallmarks.  Sibelius and Mahler also knew how to solve the problem of long slow movement.  When criticism came Shostakovich’s way he would often state that "quiet contemplation is an integral part of my musical philosophy.

"The language and style of Shostakovich has remained consistent throughout his life. There is no mistaking his sound and his development of his musical ideas.  It is a unique and powerful voice.

"The Eighth Quartet is an interesting work in its conception and its design.  It is practically monothematic, which means that one theme predominates the entire quartet and the musical texture.  What is even more remarkable is that Shostakovich does not attempt to present the main theme in varied forms, as most composers do.  To the contrary, the theme is introduced bleakly but determinedly, like a subject in a Bach fugue; it resembles, in fact, rhythmically and melodically the subject of the 4th fugue of the first book of the Well-Tempered Clavier.  It rarely modulates by going to a new and different and contrasting key, but is heard time and time again through the entire quartet in its original key of c minor.  Why?  The riddle is found in the name of the notes he uses for this theme.  The theme is formed from the notes D, E-flat, C, and B-natural, which in German notation, widely accepted and taught in Russia, corresponds to the letter-notes of D, Es, C, and H.  Replacing Es by the letter "S", we arrive at the monogram D.S.C.H, the initials of Shostakovich’s first and last name.

"Thus, the Eighth Quartet is an autobiographical work of sorts.  The thematic signature also appears in his 10th symphony written five years earlier.  The Quartet also quotes fragments from his First Symphony written when he was only 18 years old as well as old revolutionary songs found in his Eleventh Symphony.   The insistent repetition of these fragments, the cumulative counterpoint and emotional drive give the work a nearly obsessive quality.  But, no matter the innate programmatic nature of the quartet, the quartet stands on its own merit.  It is the power of Shostakovich’s music in this quartet that makes the listener accept the almost unacceptable, and only a master can exercise this power with such effect.