Shostakovich’s String Quartet No. 8 was dedicated “to the victims of fascism and the war.” It’s likely a very autobiographical work that features a musical monogram, a means by which Shostakovich inserted his own voice into the musical narrative in a very under-the-radar way. The story is that, upon hearing it played for the first time by the Borodin Quartet, he buried his head in his hands and wept. In contrast, Mozart’s sunny String Quartet K. 465, nicknamed the “Dissonance” for its famous opening, moves quickly from darkness into light and remains there.