Although the string quartet was a rarely used form in 19th-century Russia, Tchaikovsky and Borodin both produced superb, inventive compositions in the genre.

This volume collectsTchaikovsky's String Quartet No.1 in D, Op. 11, Quartet No. 2 in F, Op. 22, and Quartet No. 3 in E-flat Minor, Op.30; and Borodin's String Quartet No. 1 in A andString Quartet No. 2 in D.