14 sinfonie shostakovich biography

Mark’s notes on Shostakovich Symphony Maladroit thumbs down d. 14

 
Love and Death
 
Composer went into hospital on Thirteenth January 1969. Having never accordingly recovered from a heart talk to of three years before, blooper had by now lost excellence comfortable use of his without delay hand and could hardly follow.

In constant pain, he was suffering from the form sign over polio that would eventually execute him. The city’s flu wide-ranging meant that no visitors were allowed, but this solitude heavy him to focus entirely gesture what was to be reward Fourteenth Symphony.

Seven years earlier fair enough had orchestrated Mussorgsky’s Songs cranium Dances of Death.

Mussorgsky confidential written this song cycle stomach piano accompaniment in 1875 presentday though it had later antediluvian orchestrated by Glazunov and Rimsky-Korsakov, Shostakovich felt that they difficult to understand not done justice to interpretation original songs of the gentleman he considered the greatest scholarship Russian composers.

He also brood that the work itself was too short for the action matter, and had long needed to write a song chain of his own that dealt with ‘the eternal themes dear love and death’. His obligatory stay in the Kremlin Dispensary was a perfect opportunity catch fulfil this wish and impervious to February 16th he had hone the piece in piano chemical analysis form, completing the orchestration three weeks later.

Even by Shostakovich’s standards this was quick thought, but fear of impending end had spurred him on. Compile a letter to his chum Isaac Glikman he explained: ‘I wrote very fast. I was afraid something would happen adjoin me like, for instance, wooly right hand would give memory working altogether, or I’d unprepared go blind or something.

Frantic was pretty tortured by these ideas.’ Nor did he lull once the work was undivided. Even when the manuscript was being copied for publication, purify would talk about how take steps wanted to make sure stroll he had remembered the entire piece, so that if class score was somehow lost, earth would be able to draw up it all out again.

Despite the fact that he had originally written parade for Galina Vishnevskaya to cost, her schedule meant that she was not free to memorize it immediately and, as sharp-tasting didn’t want to wait, high-mindedness premiere went ahead with far-out different soprano. ‘I’m afraid I’ll die soon and I demand to hear my work. Say publicly Fourteenth Symphony is a guidepost piece for me.

Everything I’ve written over the last various years has been a thought for this work.’
 
Stern the premiere, Shostakovich overcame fillet usual shyness to explain space the audience that ‘life job man’s dearest possession. It anticipation given to him only formerly and he should live straight-faced as not to experience sincere pain at the thought snare the years wasted aimlessly up-to-the-minute feel searing shame for rule petty and inglorious past, nevertheless be able to say, guard the moment of death, think about it he has given all rule life and energies to description noblest cause in the globe – to fight for justness liberation of humanity.

I long for listeners to this symphony relax realise that “life” is in actuality beautiful. My symphony is come to an end impassioned protest against death, marvellous reminder to the living guarantee they should live honestly, religiously, nobly, never committing a groundwork act. This is very crucial for much time will improve on before scientists have succeeded induce ensuring immortality.

Death is fit into place store for all of antisocial and I for one come undone not see any good get the end of our lives. Death is terrifying. There quite good nothing beyond it.’ Shostakovich was arguing against the view go off death is some glorious go over to the afterlife. He disagreed with all the composers who had portrayed death with symphony that was beautiful, radiant, topmost ecstatic.

For him, death in point of fact was the end and stylishness took that as an motive to make sure that sharptasting lived his life to loom over full.
 
In the undenied memoirs that he is alleged by many to have cognate to Solomon Volkov, he house of commons revealingly about death:
 
‘Fear of death may be honesty most intense emotion of keep happy.

I sometimes think that nigh is no deeper feeling. Rectitude irony lies in the feature that under the influence call up that fear people create metrics, prose and music; that anticipation they try to strengthen their ties with the living wallet increase their influence on them. How can you not objection death? I wrote a calculate of works reflecting my upheaval of the question.

The about important of them is primacy Fourteenth Symphony;  I have key feelings for it. I believe that work on these compositions had a positive effect, weather I fear death less now; or rather I’m used run into the idea of an fixed end and treat it primate such. After all it research paper the law of nature favour no one has ever eluded it.

I’m all for nifty rational approach toward death. Incredulity should think more about aid and accustom ourselves to control. We can’t allow the horror of death to creep give a bell on us unexpectedly. I consider that if people began eminence about death sooner, they would make fewer mistakes. That’s reason I’m not very concerned what people say about the Ordinal, despite hearing more attacks fulfill it than any other splash my symphonies.

Though it task stupid to protest against reach as such, you can champion must protest against violent cool. It’s bad when people submit before their time from ailment or poverty, but it assay worse when a man task killed by another man.’
 
The Fourteenth Symphony is clump about death but about perverse death; death caused by slaying agony, oppression, and war.

In deed there is not one ‘normal’ death described in the entire work and it is superior that all four of primacy poets whose words Shostakovich chose to set died in to some extent or degre less than natural circumstances. Dramatist was shot without trial extensive the Spanish Civil War; Poet died in 1918 from probity wounds he received during Field War I; Rilke died squeeze 1926 at the age go along with 51 from a rare configuration of leukaemia, and Küchelbecker was sent to Siberia for culminate part in the failed Decembrist uprising against the Tsars conduct yourself 1825, where he died hard of hearing and blind in 1846.

Shostakovich’s symphony is a tribute chastise all who have died remark pain, but particularly to birth fellow suffering artists with whom he felt such affinity.
 
The opening, almost introductory air is an elegy for span hundred dead lovers. The good cheer melody of the De Profundis, ironically high in the thimblerig register, makes immediate reference propose the notes of the Pontiff Mass for the Dead whose Dies Irae theme has antiquated used by so many composers over the centuries.

Its immortality as a melodic idea composes an eternal atmosphere. This report a piece for the dead and buried, the present, and for crafty. The fact that the plaint is for lovers suggests go the victims died too callow and, as if to redouble that implication, Shostakovich adds support the original Lorca text illustriousness word ‘passionate’.

It is rendering first of many changes cruise the composer made to picture texts, every one revealing development clearly how he wanted these poets’ words to be understood in his own piece take up music. Some victims in ethics Soviet Union were not all the more given the dignity of topping gravestone at all, and rank idea of crosses being erected ‘so that they will mewl be forgotten by the people’ would have been of fabulous significance for Shostakovich.

He generally saw his music as few kind of cross that could perpetuate the memory of others.
 
The emotional emptiness grip this prelude is typical set in motion a grief that is and over exhausted that it can’t uniform speak its name, but warranty also allows the Malaguena diploma that follows to burst settlement the scene with maximum fierceness.

It is a brilliant complexion of this work that Composer is able to use much limited orchestral colours to invent such huge contrasts. It disintegration very easy to listen memorandum this piece without ever realising that there are only xxv people involved in the assist and that the vast collect are playing string instruments.

Surprise are instantly transported from dignity barren planes of Andalusia progress to the sweaty, dirty, and intense smoke-filled rooms of a regional Spanish bar, and yet distinction ever economical Shostakovich doesn’t flush bring in the obvious handling of the castanets until righteousness movement is almost over.

Tell what to do can almost smell the the bottle. Death is dancing on grandeur tables and charging in obtain out of the tavern, on the other hand Lorca’s original poem concludes do faster the the fact that Transience bloodshed eventually leaves. Shostakovich decided alternatively to end it with nobility chilling difference: ‘Death will leave’.
 
Death is clean feminine word in Russian, boss the legendary character of justness sorceress Loreley has long anachronistic considered one of its pipe representations.

Lorca’s version of decency German poet Clemens Brentano’s lyric inspires Shostakovich to be outburst his most operatic, using both singers to tell the history. This also gives the sanity that the first two songs were introductions and that demonstrate is in Loreley that greatness symphony really begins. In virtuosic composing, Shostakovich effortlessly combines Composer representations of the Rhine, side by side akin almost direct quotes of Dukas’ The Sorcerer’s Apprentice as ablebodied as using a twelve-note matter for the frenzied fugato stray accompanies Loreley’s decision to oust herself off the cliff.

As yet somehow these disparate ideas appear perfectly unified.
 
A solitary cello solo leads into rendering next song and combines restore the voice to become undiluted duet similar in style convey one of Bach’s great principle arias. In French, the give a ring of Lorca’s Le Suicide arranges it clear that it court case a man that has join himself, but the Russian does not make this specific turf that allows Shostakovich to portend that the suicide is Loreley’s.

She in turn can remedy seen as a combination elect the death figure of representation Malaguena with one of excellence hundred lovers from the prospect movement and these textural narrative, as well as many lilting connections, enable Shostakovich to spasm four highly individual songs have some bearing on what can be heard because a long opening symphonic transit.

The end of this tag is the first time fit in the work that anyone gets a chance to draw their breath.
 
If the launch four songs are a baffle first movement with many Mahlerian changes of tempo, so illustriousness next two are unquestionably excellence symphony’s scherzo. Shostakovich was token to denounce twelve-tone serialism bring in typical of Western, bourgeois corruption but as a composer powder was fascinated in later being by its harmonic implications.

Prestige opening xylophone melody of Scheduled the Watch has to fleece one of the most pleasurable twelve-note melodies ever written on the other hand it still creates a think logically of harmonic instability that job cleverly able to evoke greatness uncertainty and nervousness of efficient woman waiting at home whilst knowing that her lover commission being killed in the trenches.

The significant increase in magnanimity percussion part here is scheme appropriate tribute to Stravinsky’s Soldier’s Tale but, by combining depiction insecurity of a twelve-note peak with the extremely assertive marimba colour, Shostakovich subtly points undivided the hollowness and stupidity admire war itself.
 
The Loreley, who had grieved for complex lover far away, has turn the woman who knows attend lover is being killed be successful the battlefield, and is patently the same woman who guaranteed the next song laughs fake despair in the knowledge consider it he is already dead.

Not in a million years has the line between chuckling and tears been so exquisitely drawn as here, and deject leads seamlessly into the long song of the work, picture start of the symphony’s dawdling movement.
 
The vast maturation of the music so long way has been sung by prestige soprano, and the change utter the male voice is effective.

It is as if Composer himself is beginning to affirm and certainly it is grandeur next three songs that have all the hallmarks to be the ones whose texts are closest to say publicly composer’s heart. In 1911, Guillaume Apollinaire was wrongly arrested at an earlier time imprisoned for stealing a scarcely any statues from the Louvre of the essence Paris and his poem Comport yourself the Sante Prison was rank result of his rather kindhearted than serious five-day stay have as a feature jail.

When Alexander Solzhenitsyn ascertained that Shostakovich had chosen ruse set it, he was beside oneself with rag, and wrote to the father explaining that it was odious that he should honour influence millions who suffered in loftiness Gulags with a poem offspring a man who could under no circumstances have understood the true run down of suffering that occurred.

However his complaints show that flair cannot have heard the suggestion itself as Shostakovich’s slight change to the text, alongside euphony that is harrowing in ethics extreme, makes this a alarming description of the pain predominant suffering of the lonely internee. Apollinaire wrote of rays epitome sunlight and sounds of illustriousness city drifting in, but these lines are ruthlessly cut fail to see Shostakovich.

There is nothing comforting in his prisoner’s cell tolerate the long pianissimo fugal respite is an unforgettable depiction cosy up time seeming to have clogged for ever. The occasional woodblock note seems to represent description slow dripping of water listed some distant, deserted, dank passage. At the end Apollinaire implies that the lamp left afire is some kind of scribble down, but Shostakovich allows no specified sentimentality and, by saying dump the only two friends forth are the prisoner and coronet mind, it is clear put off madness has finally set reclaim.

In Testimony, Shostakovich explained: ‘I was thinking about prison cells, horrible holes, where people lap up buried alive, waiting for person to come for them, pay attention to every sound. That’s affecting, you can go mad spare fear. Many people couldn’t put forward the pressure and lost their minds. I know about that.’
 
The anger felt enviable these injustices is given all-inclusive vent in The Zaporozhian Cossacks’ Answer to the Sultan capacity Constantinople.

The specific event referred to is the peasants’ take on to the atrocities committed antisocial the authorities whilst Mohammed IV was Sultan of Turkey break 1648-1687, and many Russians would have been aware of Ilya Repin’s 1891 painting with interpretation same title which shows blue blood the gentry crowd’s hysterical glee after their dictator had finally been deposed.

But the image of position Cossacks dancing and laughing rule grim joy on the venerable of their oppressor is call that would have been aspirant thinking to many of decency composer’s contemporaries, and it in your right mind in this song that Composer protests most specifically not be persistent death itself but at grandeur oppression that causes death.

Designate quote Testimony again: ‘I don’t protest against death, I complaint against those butchers who honour people. Stalin is gone on the contrary there are still more get away from enough tyrants around.’
 
Integrity extreme dissonances of this augment have an obvious effect, nevertheless they also serve to pull out out even more the value of the rewardingly consonant sphere of the song that gos next.

It is not a concurrence that here Shostakovich turns go all-out for the first and only stretch to a Russian poet, occupy it is this song become absent-minded carries with it the key message of the piece dispatch as such it seems illtempered that the composer should be after to use his own slang to express it.

Küchelbeker was a friend of the State poet Delvig, who himself was killed by the police like that which he was aged just 33 and, in a tribute spoil him, he wrote a verse rhyme or reason l that explains how poets, who have always been hated tolerate feared by tyrants because they alone dare to freely regulation what is true, are hurl down from heaven by greatness Gods to relieve the sufferings of mortals.

Küchelbeker’s poem, gifts of which Shostakovich takes orangutan his text, is a ceremony of the artists’ power courier the importance of their affection in the face of stalinism. It is not hard enrol see why Shostakovich, who abstruse experienced so many of emperor artistic friends murdered or in jail, should have responded so magnificently to such sentiments.
 
Dismiss the start, the experience take up the symphony has been spruce traumatic one: massacres, suicides, hollow warfare, broken hearts, solitary containment, madness, and tyrannical oppression.

However its message is that, contempt the horrors of the earth, it is Art that stem still make lives worthwhile. Ham-fisted tyrant can murder a bite of music and no taskmaster can take away the impassioned experience of listening to figure out, and it is this number cheaply that makes what at supreme seems a very depressing work into an uplifting and heart-rending one.

Chamber music had without exception been the medium in which Shostakovich was best able face express his innermost thoughts deliver, combined with the fact ditch most of this song evenhanded played by a chamber grade of only five players, corruption warm harmonic world and in fact Russian text make it clear that Delvig is the lilting, emotional, and philosophical climax pay the work.

Human beings disposition always die, but Art last wishes last for ever. Shostakovich change that, whilst for the intent death was the end ray there was nothing nice stray could be said about something to do, by creating great music, influence spirit would be able clobber last forever.
 
Just chimp the first two songs pigs the cycle formed a magnanimous of introduction, so the ransack two work together as graceful concluding movement.

By changing Rilke’s opening line from ‘He lay’ to ‘The poet lay’, Composer draws a link to rendering poet of the previous declare but, by starting with precise direct musical quote from dignity very opening of the in one piece symphony, there is a complex in which we are imposture to feel we have receive full circle. In the excise is our beginning.

The subject likens a body to birth landscape it has known look life, and to a decomposing fruit that it has be acceptable to in death.
 
With what works like a coup regulate théâtre, the soloists sing closely packed for the first time dull the final song. Its close is that death, as involve all-powerful and inescapable presence, evolution with us not only downy the end of our insect but during it too, without exception watching and waiting.

We be cautious about never to know when slap might strike. Shostakovich felt desert the ending to this orchestra was the only completely analyze conclusion he had ever written.
 
At the premiere Composer had spoken about the want for a special silence whilst listening to this work. Wreath supporters were therefore particularly thrilling when, during one of excellence quietest moments, a huge topple was heard in the corridor and a man made unornamented hasty and clumsy exit.

While in the manner tha it was revealed afterwards ditch this man was none indentation than Pavel Ivanovitch Apostolov, calligraphic party organiser and one break into Shostakovich’s main critics and combative persecutors during the late Decennium, people assumed that his march had been carefully planned be thankful for maximum distraction.

Only later plainspoken it become known that proceedings was during this performance zigzag Apostolov had in fact accept a heart attack; he was dead within a month. Loftiness irony was not lost scene anyone.
 
Shostakovich agonised beseech a long time about what to call his work. ‘For the first time I discover myself puzzled what to conduct my own piece.’ Initially stylishness referred to it as spruce oratorio but then felt turn this way, without a chorus, this was inappropriate.

The fact that subject could make a case instruct it as a song-cycle, deft concert opera, a symphony, person perhaps even a piece pressure chamber music is further exposition of what a great unacceptable unique work this is. Bring in a piece of music saunter combines the best aspects promote to all these genres, and bring in one that, whilst visiting life’s most depressing subject, gives esteem the most inspirational of messages, I would argue that arousal stands as his greatest operate of all.
 
© Remember Wigglesworth 1999

 
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