Shostakovich symphony 7 analysis

The 7th symphony is one of shostakovich s great symphonies. The 7th symphony is one of shostakovichs great symphonies. It is impossible to deny the overwhelming impact shostakovichs symphony no. Shostakovich was bitterly attacked in the official press, and both the opera and the still unperformed symphony no. Shostakovichs instruments of choice for desolation the bass clarinet and bassoon express the numbness and loss with real eloquence. It then fell from favor, probably as a result of a backlash against its highly programmatic nature in the midst of the atonal avantgarde of the 2nd half of the 20th century, and its fiercely prosoviet. Thematic symbolism in the leningrad thematic symbolism in. In the late 1970s, testimony, solomon volkovs edition. Oct 08, 2014 the b theme is first heard as an expressive descending line, prefiguring the first movement of shostakovichs next symphony, the much more famous fifth. Dmitri shostakovichs portrait, in the audience at the bach celebration of july 28, 1950.

Its first performance was on november 21, 1937, in leningrad by the leningrad philharmonic orchestra under yevgeny mravinsky. The sevenths story is one of the most astonishing in the history of music. Taking up almost half the symphony, this oozes stupendous structural integrity. Conductor vasily petrenko guides us through the history and analysis of shostakovichs seventh symphony leningrad. Shostakovich knew that theyd missed the point, simply because hed survived to wield this twoedged sword before the public. The symphony does not appear on concert programs very often, yet many recent scholars have ranked it among the. Basic main themes are immediately subjected to fluid, organic development. St petersburg philharmonicyuri temirkanov signum sigcd194. The slaughter incited further demonstrations and antitsarist activities, culminating in the 1917 bolshevik revolution. Then in a burst of foresight, shostakovich arranged for the score to be microfilmed. The opening movement of the leningrad has an extreme complexity in the deployment and development of its material. With the denunciation fresh in his mind, shostakovich crafted a symphony with a thoroughly socialist realist aesthetic. Its subtitle, leningrad, refers to both the city where the first three movements were composed and to the symphonys greater antitotalitarian message.

Some people claim that stalin was responsible for as many as three times that number of deaths. The movement closes idiosyncratically, mechanically, mysteriously, with clockwork percussion that begs to be interpreted but simultaneously seems to resist hermeneutical analysis. Shostakovich draws a musical picture of a dance floor. As part of its truth to power threeweek festival, the cso will perform shostakovichs symphony no. In the clip, shostakovich talks about how the terrible events of 1941 inspired him to write the symphony, and the work is now regarded as a major musical testament to the estimated 25 million soviet citizens who lost their lives during the war the influence of the war is evident in symphony no. Learn more about this fascinating work in the post below.

The live broadcast was a powerful symbol of resilience, for the country, and for the allies. Shostakovich composed most of his seventh symphony in leningrad, his. Boston symphony orchestra, shostakovich symphonies. As soon as shostakovich received the score, he transcribed it for piano fourhands.

Jun 19, 2017 in this video from 1941, the legendary russian composer dmitri shostakovich talks about one of his most famous works, symphony no. And it becomes a very dramatic moment leading to the first big climax of the slow movement. The musical character of the sixth symphony will differ from the mood and emotional tone of the fifth symphony, in which moments of tragedy and tension were characteristic. It was first performed by the leningrad philharmonic orchestra and the academy capella choir under nikolai malko, on 5 november 1927. The quartet, the original manuscript of which is lost, was dedicated by shostakovich in memoriam to his wife nina 1. David geffen hall 10 lincoln center plaza new york, ny 100236970. Dmitri shostakovich symphony no 7 albums pentatone. Petersburg when the city was surrounded and besieged by nazigerman troops. The b theme is first heard as an expressive descending line, prefiguring the first movement of shostakovichs next symphony, the much more famous fifth.

And theres a searing imagination as well as an indelible sense of connection and commitment here. However, traditional analysis is virtually impossible like a cloud, the closer you get, the less you see. Their prevailing seriousness, even grimness, was to contribute to shostakovichs second fall from official grace. Not for him those long, dry spells common to some other composers. Dmitri shostakovich left and benjamin britten, photographed in 1966. Boston symphony orchestra, shostakovich symphonies nos. In this form, it was then smuggled to iran, driven to egypt, and.

If youre behind a web filter, please make sure that the domains. The score was microfilmed and smuggled to tehran, from where it was sent by us. Apr 10, 2015 evidently, dmitri shostakovich felt a strong urge, decades after composing his symphony no. The premiere was a huge success and received an ovation that lasted well over half an hour. He often performed this arrangement with students in his. It may be sacrilege to say that at times one wishes the russian national orchestra were less refined and more redolent of russian orchestras of days gone by but there is no denying the excellence of. Petersburg winter palace were killed on orders from government officials. As sandburg suggested, it was music written with the hearts blood. Consider this post an apology for another uneventful week of harmonizations. As i sat and listened to the concert, i saw myself in russia, with all the pain and agony of what was going on around me. In shostakovichs case that burden was particularly hard to bear.

A trivial, dutifully optimistic work might have been expected. Much of the thematic material is altered every time that it returns and themes are subjected to increased fragmentation and alteration as the movement progresses, especially at the climax of the central section of the movement where all. The first movement was actually written in leningrad now again st. Shostakovichs 7th symphony leningrad, first movement.

Shostakovichs works written during the mid1940s contain some of his best music, especially the symphony no. The symphony is a short about 20 minutes experimental work in one movement. It was the leningrad premiere of shostakovichs 7th symphony, and it was being performed by a ragtag orchestra made up of musicians who were half dead from starvation. After his evacuation to moscow, shostakovich finished the symphony, and its first performace was celebrated enthusiastically. Shostakovichs fifth symphony would, at first glance, seem, on purely musical grounds, to be a most unlikely work to have become possibly the most hotly debated and discussed piece of classical music written in the 20 th c nonetheless, in the three quarters of a century since it was composed, it has never failed to divide opinion or inspire debate. The symphony is a playful and vivid musical work, with a neoclassical air that has led to comparisons to haydns symphonies and to prokofievs classical symphony.

Shostakovichs final symphony, the fifteenth, dates from 1971, only a few years before his death. Volkov his 10th symphony, composed in 1953, the year of stalins death, flew in the face of zhdanovism, yet, like his. Shostakovichs choice to answer his denunciationthe fifth symphony in d minor, op. At first dedicated to lenin, it was eventually submitted in honor of the besieged city of leningrad, where it was first played under dire circumstances on august 9, 1942, with the siege by axis and finnish forces ongoing. Allegretto, attacca lento, attacca allegro allegretto. The slaughter incited further demonstrations and antitsarist activities, culminating in the.

There are lots of themes, for example, but as shostakovich pointed out, none are repeated. This performance was recorded in mono in 1956 by supraphon, one year after ancerls remarkable dg recording of the 10th in munich, 1955. In a marked departure from his first symphony, shostakovich composed his second in a gestural, geometric music without emotional structure manner, with the intent of reflecting speech patterns and physical movements in a neo. The music was the seventh symphony, soon to be known everywhere as the leningrad symphony. He dedicated the work to his hometown, the city of leningrad st petersburg, after it. Shostakovichs seventh symphony, though unpopular in the west where many people view it as a simpleminded ode to the soviet union, is a masterpiece. I had to learn more about the genius who created this. Stephen johnson explores shostakovichs eighth symphony, a work the composer described as a poem of suffering. After the premiere, shostakovich made some revisions to the score, and this final version was first played in moscow later. After the second symphony, he became involved in both film.

The story behind shostakovichs leningrad symphony classic fm. Written by shostakovich after he had been transported out of his besieged hometown of leningrad, the seventh is a patriotic hymn to his city and country and a rallying cry to the foes of fascism. Sep 23, 20 dmitri shostakovich left and benjamin britten, photographed in 1966. Written in mid1937, the entirety of the fifth symphonys conception took place after the events of the pravda articles. A typical performance lasts for around 26 minutes, which makes this symphony one of shostakovichs shortest. The work premiered informally on march 5, 1942, at a rural retreat by the volga, where the composer and many of his colleagues were seeking refuge from world war ii.

Then in a burst of foresight, shostakovich arranged for the score to be. Shostakovich even acknowledged the influence of the ninth symphony of beethoven. Mar 17, 2014 shostakovichs seventh symphony, though unpopular in the west where many people view it as a simpleminded ode to the soviet union, is a masterpiece filled with multilayered views. And so the symphony is a memorial to the people of leningrad. The seventh symphony was hugely popular when it was released in the middle of the war shostakovich even made the cover of time magazine. I was bass trombonist of the bso from 19852012 and kurt sanderling was a frequent guest conductor of the orchestra. The story behind shostakovichs leningrad symphony how hitlers attack on russia inspired one of shostakovichs greatest works. A story that has particularly appealed to audiences in the united states since. For over 40 years, in the absence of any contrary evidence, the fifth symphony was generally regarded as a grovelling apology. Mar 15, 2012 the controversy about the shostakovichvolkov testimony was settled for me when the boston symphony played shostakovich sym 10 in november 1990. Thematic symbolism in the leningrad thematic symbolism.

The ultimate horror is, in fact, that nobody will ever know. Evidently, dmitri shostakovich felt a strong urge, decades after composing his symphony no. In my latest symphony, music of a contemplative and. For a thorough analysis into all aspects of the eighth quartet by a prominent musicologist, see david fanning, shostakovich. The world youth symphony orchestra, under the direction of timothy russell, was playing his 11th symphony the year 1905. How hitlers attack on russia inspired one of shostakovichs greatest works. On that peaceful summer morning of june 22, 1941, i was on my way to the leningrad stadium to see my favourite sunday soccer game, shostakovich wrote. With the denunciation fresh in his mind, shostakovich crafted a.