Rachel Kiel, a student at Wesleyan, writes in with a poetic set of word-associations for the Shostakovich String Quartets:
The First Quartet is a blade of grass.
The Second Quartet is a pocket knife.
The Third Quartet is a captive bird.
The Fourth Quartet is an old train car.
The Fifth Quartet is a piece of blue glass.
The Sixth Quartet is a worn dress.
The Seventh Quartet is a red crayon.
The Eighth Quartet is a forest fire.
The Ninth Quartet is a paper fan.
The Tenth Quartet is the bottom of the ocean.
The Eleventh Quartet is a bullet.
The Twelfth Quartet is a sleeping lover.
The Thirteenth Quartet is a horse's skull.
The Fourteenth Quartet is a strand of black hair.
The Fifteenth Quartet is an empty room.
