The Shanghai Quartet distinguishes itself from almost every other active string quartet in its multicultural approach to repertory and performance, in its seemingly ubiquitous presence in an array of media -- concert, recording, television, radio, film -- and in the varied selection of guest artists with whom it has performed: Yo-Yo Ma, Ruth Laredo, Eugenia Zukerman, and Sharon Isbin. Its vast repertory covers many works by Asian-born composers like Bright Sheng, Toru Takemitsu, Zhou Long, Jienhong Wang, Cheng-Qian Xue, and Jing-Ping Zhang, as well as a mixture of 20th century...