Piano Trio No. 2 (Shostakovich)

Last updated
Piano Trio No. 2
by Dmitri Shostakovich
Dmitrii Dmitrievich Shostakovich.jpg
Shostakovich in 1941
Key E minor
Opus 67
Composed1943 (1943)–44
Dedication Ivan Sollertinsky
Performed14 November 1944 (1944-11-14): Leningrad
Duration25 minutes
Movements4

The Piano Trio No. 2 in E minor, Op. 67, is a piece for violin, cello and piano by the Russian composer Dmitri Shostakovich, started in late 1943 and completed in August the following year. It was premiered on 14 November 1944. The piece was dedicated to his close friend Ivan Sollertinsky, whose death in February 1944 affected Shostakovich profoundly.

Contents

The piece consists of four movements, with a complete performance running 25 to 27 minutes. The final movement, the "Dance of Death", is in particular notable for its characteristic use of Jewish scales.

History

Shostakovich began writing the trio during December 1943, [1] having earlier that year in October mentioned beginning work on a piano trio "on Russian folk themes", [2] and having written to Isaac Glikman on 8 December he was working on the trio. [3] Several days before completing the piece's first movement, Shostakovich's closest friend Ivan Sollertinsky, a Russian polymath and avid musician, died at age 41, [4] having experienced heart pains in the preceding days. [5] Sollertinsky's death affected Shostakovich deeply. He decided to dedicate the trio to his friend's memory. [6] [lower-alpha 1] Upon hearing of his friend's death he wrote to Sollertinsky's widow that "it is impossible to express in words all the grief that engulfed me on hearing the news about [Sollertinsky's] death", and that "to live without him will be unbearably difficult"; [2] [9] in the following months he suffered from periods of depression and struggled to compose, at one point writing "it seems to me that I will never be able to compose another note again". [2] He finished writing the work later that year, completing the second movement by 4 August 1944 and the fourth by 13 August. [10] The work received its premiere in Leningrad on 14 November 1944, [11] with the composer at the piano alongside Dmitri Tsyganov  [ de; ru ] and Sergei Shirinsky, members of the Beethoven Quartet, who gave his Second String Quartet its premiere during the same concert. [10]

Two years after premiering the work, in 1946, Shostakovich made the first recording of the work with Tsyganov and Shirinsky. The next year, on 26 May 1947, he made a second recording with David Oistrakh and the Czech cellist Miloš Sádlo at the Prague Festival. [12] [lower-alpha 2] In 1946, Shostakovich was also awarded a State Stalin Prize (second grade) for the trio. [16] [17]

Structure

The piece consists of four movements:

Andante – Moderato

The first movement, in E minor, begins with a passage in the cello, which plays exclusively harmonics. It is joined by the violin and then the piano, all three instruments playing in canon, with the violin entering a 13th below the cello and the piano a 13th below the violin. [19] This slow first section of the movement undergoes development before the music moves into the faster "Moderato" section, which is in sonata form. The melodic and rhythmic features of this section's first and second themes are in essence based upon motifs introduced in the opening, [20] and are played alongside an rhythmic "eighth-note pulsation", an accompaniment which returns in the piece's fourth movement. [21] The movement comes to a head in the climactic recapitulation, before the music recedes in the final bars, closing quietly. Throughout the movement, G major, the relative major key, serves, in a conventional manner, as the key of the second theme of the "Moderato"; however, the keys of B-flat major and B-flat minor, a tritone from the tonic, also play a particularly notable role in the movement's modulations, with there being multiple occurrences of tonicizations from these keys. [20] According to the conductor and musicologist Michael Mishra, this movement shows Shostakovich in a "neoclassical vein", containing melodies "almost Haydnesque in character", and with the slow introduction to a faster movement being "a nod in the direction of the Classicists". [20]

Allegro con brio

The second movement, in F-sharp major, is a scherzo which progresses through dissonant figurations. The movement's trio section in G major, described by one commentator as a "giddy waltz", [22] is less separate from the rest of the movement than is usual for Shostakovich. [18] [ clarification needed ] Sollertinsky's sister considered the movement to be "an amazingly exact portrait" of her brother, whom she said Shostakovich "understood like no one else". [23] [16] It also bears similarities to the scherzo movement from his Piano Quintet. [24]

Largo

The third movement, in B-flat minor, is a passacaglia, based around a repeating eight-bar theme of sustained semibreve chords in the piano, tonally unstable in character. [25] Against this background, the violin and cello, playing in canon, alternate slow melodic lines. The movement ends with an attacca marking, continuing into the next movement without a pause. [21]

In 1975, after Shostakovich's death, this movement was played at his public funeral service held in the Grand Hall of the Moscow Conservatory. [26] [22]

Allegretto – Adagio

The piece's fourth and final movement begins in E major and transitions to E minor. Staccato repeated notes begin this "Dance of Death" movement, which introduces a Jewish-style melody, and revisits the thematic content of the previous three movements. It ends in a E major chord.

The Jewish melody from this last movement was quoted in Shostakovich's String Quartet No. 8. [27]

Ian MacDonald says in his book The New Shostakovich that the movement was inspired by the composer's horror at reports that SS guards in Nazi death camps had forced Jews to dance by their own graves. [22] [28]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dmitri Shostakovich</span> Soviet composer and pianist (1906–1975)

Dmitri Dmitriyevich Shostakovich was a Soviet-era Russian composer and pianist who became internationally known after the premiere of his First Symphony in 1926 and thereafter was regarded as a major composer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Passacaglia</span> Musical form written in triple metre

The passacaglia is a musical form that originated in early seventeenth-century Spain and is still used today by composers. It is usually of a serious character and is typically based on a bass-ostinato and written in triple metre.

Dmitri Shostakovich's String Quartet No. 8 in C minor, Op. 110, was written in three days.

The Symphony No. 5 in D minor, Op. 47, by Dmitri Shostakovich is a work for orchestra composed between April and July 1937. Its first performance was on November 21, 1937, in Leningrad by the Leningrad Philharmonic Orchestra under Yevgeny Mravinsky. The premiere was a "triumphal success" that appealed to both the public and official critics, receiving an ovation that lasted well over half an hour.

The Symphony No. 10 in E minor, Op. 93, by Dmitri Shostakovich was premiered by the Leningrad Philharmonic Orchestra under Yevgeny Mravinsky on 17 December 1953. It is not clear when it was written. According to the composer, the symphony was composed between July and October 1953, but Tatiana Nikolayeva stated that it was completed in 1951. Sketches for some of the material date from 1946.

The Violin Concerto No. 1 in A minor, Op. 77, was originally composed by Dmitri Shostakovich in 1947–48. He was still working on the piece at the time of the Zhdanov Doctrine, and it could not be performed in the period following the composer's denunciation. In the time between the work's initial completion and the first performance, the composer, sometimes with the collaboration of its dedicatee, David Oistrakh, worked on several revisions. The concerto was finally premiered by the Leningrad Philharmonic under Yevgeny Mravinsky on 29 October 1955. It was well-received, Oistrakh remarking on the "depth of its artistic content" and describing the violin part as a "pithy 'Shakespearian' role."

Ivan Ivanovich Sollertinsky was a Soviet polymath. He specialized in fields including linguistics, theatre, literature, history, and philology, but was most known for his work in the musical field as a critic and musicologist. He was a professor at the Leningrad Conservatory, as well as an artistic director of the Leningrad Philharmonic, and a prominent orator. In these capacities, he was an active promoter of Mahler's music in the Soviet Union. Sollertinsky was also interested in ballet and often wrote essays on the subject during the 1930s, along with teaching ballet history at the Leningrad Choreographic Institute. According to contemporaries – most famously Irakly Andronikov – he had a phenomenal memory, and supposedly spoke 26 languages and 100 dialects. However, Nikolai Malko claimed that Sollertinsky was able to speak 32 languages, some of which were also considered dialects.

E major is a major scale based on E, consisting of the pitches E, F♯, G♯, A, B, C♯, and D♯. Its key signature has four sharps. Its relative minor is C-sharp minor and its parallel minor is E minor. Its enharmonic equivalent, F-flat major, has six flats and the double-flat B, which makes that key less convenient to use.

E-flat major is a major scale based on E♭, consisting of the pitches E♭, F, G, A♭, B♭, C, and D. Its key signature has three flats. Its relative minor is C minor, and its parallel minor is E♭ minor,.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Piano Concerto No. 2 (Shostakovich)</span> 1957 piano concerto by Dmitri Shostakovich

Piano Concerto No. 2 in F major, Op. 102, by Dmitri Shostakovich was composed in 1957 for the 19th birthday of his son Maxim, who premiered the piece during his graduation concert at the Moscow Conservatory. It contains many similar elements to Shostakovich's Concertino for Two Pianos: both works were written to be accessible for developing young pianists. It is an uncharacteristically cheerful piece, much more so than most of Shostakovich's works.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">String Quartet No. 10 (Shostakovich)</span> 1964 string quartet by Dmitri Shostakovich

Dmitri Shostakovich's String Quartet No. 10 in A-flat major, Op. 118, was composed from 9 to 20 July 1964. It was premiered by the Beethoven Quartet in Moscow and is dedicated to composer Mieczysław (Moisei) Weinberg, a close friend of Shostakovich. It has been described as cultivating the uncertain mood of his earlier Stalin-era quartets, as well as foreshadowing the austerity and emotional distance of his later works. The quartet typified the preference for chamber music over large scale works, such as symphonies, that characterised his late period. According to musicologist Richard Taruskin, this made him the first Russian composer to devote so much time to the string quartet medium.

DSCH is a musical motif used by the composer Dmitri Shostakovich to represent himself. It is a musical cryptogram in the manner of the BACH motif, consisting of the notes D, E-flat, C, B natural, or in German musical notation D, Es, C, H, thus standing for the composer's initials in German transliteration: D. Sch..

<i>Childrens Notebook</i> 1945 piano suite by Dmitri Shostakovich

Children's Notebook, also known as A Child's Exercise Book, Op. 69 is a suite for piano composed by Dmitri Shostakovich. Although precise dating is uncertain, it is believed to have been composed over a period of twelve to eighteen months between 1944 and 1945. Shostakovich intended it for his daughter, Galina, who at the time was a young child beginning her piano studies. Originally envisioned as a cycle of twenty-four pieces in all keys arranged along a circle of fifths, the completed work ultimately contained only seven. Each piece included a corresponding illustration by Pyotr Williams.

The Concerto in C minor for Piano, Trumpet, and String Orchestra, Op. 35, was completed by Dmitri Shostakovich in 1933.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Piano Sonata No. 2 (Shostakovich)</span> 1943 piano sonata by Dmitri Shostakovich

The Piano Sonata No. 2 in B minor, Op. 61 by Dmitri Shostakovich, the last of his piano sonatas, was composed in early 1943. It was his first solo piano composition since 1933, as well as his second attempt at composing a piano sonata in the key of B minor.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Violin Sonata (Shostakovich)</span> 1968 sonata for violin and piano by Dmitri Shostakovich

Dmitri Shostakovich composed his Sonata for Violin and Piano in G major, Op. 134 in the autumn of 1968 in Moscow, completing it on October 23. It is set in three movements and lasts approximately 31 minutes. It is dedicated to the violinist David Oistrakh, who premiered the work on May 3, 1969 in the Large Hall of the Moscow Conservatory.

The Sonata for Viola and Piano, Op. 147, is the last composition by Dmitri Shostakovich. It was completed on July 5, 1975, weeks before his death. It is dedicated to Fyodor Druzhinin, violist of the Beethoven Quartet.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">24 Preludes (Shostakovich)</span> 1933 set of 24 preludes for solo piano by Dmitri Shostakovich

The 24 Preludes, Op. 34 is a set of short piano pieces written and premiered by Dmitri Shostakovich in 1933. They are arranged following the circle of fifths, with one prelude in each major and minor key.

Scherzo in F-sharp minor is a piece for orchestra written by Dmitri Shostakovich (1906–1975). Shostakovich was a Russian composer and pianist during the Soviet era. It was most likely written in 1921 or 1922 while Shostakovich was studying at the Petrograd Conservatory under Maximilian Steinberg. The composition is one of the composer's earliest surviving works. Originally written as a single movement of a piano sonata, the Scherzo was later orchestrated with assistance from Steinberg and became an orchestral work in its own right.

References

Notes

  1. ↑ Shostakovich's dedication of the piece has been compared to the dedications of piano trios of other Russian composers: Sergei Rachmaninoff's dedication of his Trio élégiaque No. 2 to the memory of Tchaikovsky after his death; Tchaikovsky's dedication of his own Piano Trio to the memory of Nikolai Rubinstein; and Anton Arensky's dedication of his First Piano Trio to the memory of cellist Karl Davydov. [7] [8] [1]
  2. ↑ Sádlo first met Shostakovich one year earlier in 1946 during his visit to Russia. Sádlo was excited to record the work with Shostakovich, and later wrote: "My admiration for the man already knew no bounds, but imagine my astonishment when I discovered that he was not only a great composer, but a virtuoso pianist as well!". Oistrakh himself said of the performance: "Without meaning to boast, I believe that this recording of the trio is the best of all that I have heard". [12] Shostakovich, in both recordings, takes a significantly faster tempo in the first movement. [13] [14] According to pianist and Shostakovich researcher Sofia Moshevich, "Shostakovich's playing, on the whole, is truly remarkable in this movement, exhibiting an extremely wide dynamic range and powerful rhythmic drive. His dynamics and inner energy in shaping the culmination in both recordings ... is unforgettable. [15]
  3. ↑ The tempo is marked "Allegro con brio" in the 1983 Collected Works edition, while some earlier editions have it as "Allegro non troppo". [18] [13]

Citations

  1. 1 2 Mishra 2008, p. 152.
  2. 1 2 3 Fay 2005, p. 141.
  3. ↑ Phillips 2001, p. 22.
  4. ↑ Mishra 2008, pp. 152–3.
  5. ↑ Fay 2005, p. 140.
  6. ↑ Moshevich 2004, p. 110.
  7. ↑ Stuart 2022.
  8. ↑ Sollertinsky & Sollertinsky 1980, p. 117–8.
  9. ↑ Sollertinsky & Sollertinsky 1980, p. 116.
  10. 1 2 Fay 2005, p. 142.
  11. ↑ McCreless 1995, p. 113 n. 1.
  12. 1 2 Moshevich 2004, p. 112.
  13. 1 2 Moshevich 2004, p. 113.
  14. ↑ Fanning 2008, p. 339.
  15. ↑ Moshevich 2004, p. 113–4.
  16. 1 2 Fay 2005, p. 143.
  17. ↑ Volkov 1979, p. 278.
  18. 1 2 Mishra 2008, p. 154.
  19. ↑ Hertz 2016.
  20. 1 2 3 Mishra 2008, p. 153.
  21. 1 2 Moshevich 2004, p. 111.
  22. 1 2 3 Keller 2017.
  23. ↑ Mishra 2008, pp. 153–4.
  24. ↑ Mishra 2008, p. 130.
  25. ↑ Henderson 2000, p. 54.
  26. ↑ Gíslason 2019.
  27. ↑ Kuhn 2008, p. 53.
  28. ↑ MacDonald 1990, p. 173.

Sources

Books

  • Fanning, David (2008). "Shostakovich on record". In Fairclough, Pauline; Fanning, David (eds.). The Cambridge Companion to Shostakovich. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. ISBN   978-0-521-84220-4.
  • Fay, Laurel E. (2005). Shostakovich: A Life. Oxford: Oxford University Press. ISBN   978-0-195-18251-4.
  • Kuhn, Judith (2008). "The string quartets: in dialogue with form and tradition". In Fairclough, Pauline; Fanning, David (eds.). The Cambridge Companion to Shostakovich. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. ISBN   978-0-521-84220-4.
  • McCreless, Patrick (1995). "The cycle of structure and the cycle of meaning: the Piano Trio in E minor, Op. 67". In Fanning, David (ed.). Shostakovich Studies. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. ISBN   978-0-521-45239-7.
  • MacDonald, Ian (1990). The New Shostakovich. Boston: Northeastern University Press. ISBN   1-55553-089-3.
  • Mishra, Michael (2008). A Shostakovich Companion. Westport: Praeger. ISBN   978-0313305030.
  • Moshevich, Sofia (2004). Dmitri Shostakovich, Pianist. Montreal: McGill–Queen's University Press. ISBN   978-0-7735-7125-9.
  • Phillips, Anthony, ed. (2001). Story of a Friendship: The Letters of Dmitry Shostakovich to Isaak Glikman. New York: Cornell University Press. ISBN   0-80143-979-5.
  • Sollertinsky, Dmitri; Sollertinsky, Ludmilla (1980) [1979]. Pages from the Life of Dmitri Shostakovich. Translated by Hobbs, Graham; Midgley, Charles. New York and London: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich. ISBN   978-0-151-70730-0.
  • Volkov, Solomon, ed. (1979). Testimony: The Memoirs of Dmitri Shostakovich. Translated by Bouis, Antonina W. New York: Harper & Row. ISBN   0-87910-021-4.

Articles

Program notes

Further reading

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.