Concert Program
Introduction
This evening will feature a wide variety of pieces, but ranging within relatively the same years. Dmitry Shostakovich, Sergei Prokofiev, and Dmitry Kabalevsky were all living and composing under the Soviet Regime. Shostakovich and Prokofiev experienced very different encounters with the Soviet Union, whereas Kabalevsky’s relationship was quite smooth. All three of these composers share the same ideas of referencing different works in their pieces. Shostakovich has a tendency to reference his own works in this particular string quartet, and Prokofiev primarily took folk songs and melodies from Nalchik and adapted them into his string quartet. Kabalevsky, on the other hand, does a little bit of both, as he takes some folk songs but also references a past work of his in his piano concerto. The night will be divided into two sections: The first including the performances of Shostakovich’s String Quartet No. 8 and Prokofiev’s String Quartet No. 2. There will then be an intermission offering hors d’oeuvres and cocktails for approximately thirty minutes, giving time for our staff to reorganize the stage to fit our orchestra in preparation for the next performance. The second section will include the last performance featuring Kabalevsky’s Piano Concerto No. 3 in D Major.
String Quartet No. 8 in C Minor, Op. 110
Dmitry Shostakovich (1906 – 1975)
Russian composer Dmitry Shostakovich has been referred to as one of the most influential composers in music history. His pieces convey emotions regarding the events happening at the time, as well as even political notes hidden in his motifs. Shostakovich’s String Quartet No. 8 in C Minor is a perfect example of this. This piece was written in three days, right after he was forcibly pressured into joining the Communist party. following his tour through the ruins of Dresden, Germany. What is most particular about this quartet, is that it is led to believe that it is an autobiography. The written dedication in this piece states “to the memory of the composer of this quartet”(Lesser 2011, 145), given that in a letter to a friend, he mentioned that the day he dies someone is not likely to write a work in memory of him, so he decided to write one for himself. He also used a motive in the piece that symbolized his initials, DSCH, which translated to the German note names D – E♭– C – B. This can be heard at the very beginning of the piece played by the cello, and then variations can be heard, scattered throughout the rest subsequent movements (Figure 1).
All five movements of this quartet make references to previous points in Shostakovich’s life. The quartet begins with a beautiful Largo movement, which is characteristically slow but also contrapuntal. The second and third movements display a wide range of different emotions, as it is said that these display some of the optimism and hopefulness that Shostakovich was experiencing at the time. However this is only displayed in rhythm and structure, not in tone. The tone is quite different, potentially signifying that the rhythm and structure us a facade, covering the pure solace he could have been feeling. This can be seen by the scherzo-type rhythm, but with an anxious and ominous tone. Also, we hear the violin playing the DSCH motif at the beginning of the third movement, potentially as a reminder to who this quartet is about.
As mentioned before, different parts of this quartet reference different points of Shostakovich’s life. In Chapter 4 of Wendy Lesser’s Music for Silenced Voices: Shostakovich and His Fifteen Quartets, there is a personal recount of Shostakovich explaining the different references of his other works in this quartet. He makes use of themes from his past works, as well as the revolutionary song: Tormented by Grievous Bondage. He also uses themes from his own First Symphony, Piano Trio No. 2, Lady Macbeth, among others. The fourth movement of the quartet includes references from one of Shostakovich’s opera’s, Lady Macbeth of the Mtsensk District (1932), more specifically ‘Katerina’s’ lovesick aria (Lesser 2011, 145). Dmitry Shostakovich very successfully composed his autobiography, as it is one of the most common of his quartets to be played at a professional level, and his memory lives on and will keep living on through his music.
String Quartet No. 2 in F Major, Op. 92
Sergei Prokofiev (1891 – 1953)
Another wonderful Russian composer was Sergei Prokofiev. During the summer of 1941, Germany attacked the Soviet Union following the failure of the non-aggression pact between Hitler and Stalin. The Soviet government proceeded to evacuate Prokofiev, along with the favored composers of that time. They took them to Nalchik in the northern Caucasus, which is where he started and finished his composition of the String Quartet No. 2 in F Major. In his compositions, Prokofiev tended to use themes based on folk tunes. For Stalin’s birthday in 1939, Prokofiev wrote the cantata Zdravitsa (‘Hail to Stalin’, op.85), a work based on folk tunes representing varied nationalities of the Soviet Union. This quartet is actually based on Kabardinian themes from Nalchick, which “give this work a modal character and brittle charm characteristic of the folk music of one of the areas to which Prokofiev had been evacuated”(Redepenning 2001). Prokofiev seems to have presented these folk songs very authentically, as there is no beautifying of the piece, and the rawness and atonality is kept. All three movements are based on specific Kabardinian themes, but the second movement is the most particular. This movement is primarily based on a Kabardinian Love Song, which is played by the cello in the treble clef (Figure 2).
This beautiful theme takes the primary role, as the violins and viola are simply there to accompany and support the cello. After a while, the movement then takes another turn and follows a more upbeat Kabardinian folk song. The love song then returns at the end, with some references to the previous folk song, but ends the movement with a more calm but atonal mode.
Intermission
Piano Concerto No. 3 in D Major, Op. 50
Dmitry Kabalevsky (1904 – 1987)
Dmitry Kabalevsky was one of the Soviet Union’s most revered composers. Unlike Dmitry Shostakovich and Sergei Prokofiev, Kabalevsky’s relationship with the Soviet Union was anything but tumultuous. Kabalevsky was also very influential in the world of music education in Russia, and he composed many pieces meant for young musicians. Through his symphonies, operas, and chamber music, Kabalevsky became one of the most published composers in the twentieth century. These pieces include his Violin Concerto (1948), Cello Concerto (1949) and his Third Piano Concerto in D Major, Op. 50, dedicated to the Soviet Youth. The way he has structured this piece is interesting, but expected. Kabalevsky combines the theme of dancing style, singing style and march style. This will help the young people to enjoy different styles when they play, and will make this work more enjoyable for young people. The first movement is very similar in tone and overall emotion to Kabalevsky’s opera Colas Breugnon. Very playful, tonal, optimistic, representing childhood even. There is a wide range of themes in this movement, including a song-like theme, and a strong beat representing a marching style theme. This is actually revisited in the last movement, which unites the entire work. The second movement actually references works, such as a Ukrainian folk song which is presented at the beginning, and then merges into the second theme which is a melody of Kabalevsky’s own work, Our Land. (Fig. 3).
Works Cited
Lesser, Wendy. Music for Silenced Voices: Shostakovich and His Fifteen Quartets (New Haven: Yale University Press, 2011), pp. 141–70
Redepenning, Dorothea. “Prokofiev, Sergey.” Grove Music Online. 2001; Accessed 16 Dec. 2021. https://www.oxfordmusiconline.com/grovemusic/view/10.1093/gmo/9781561592630.001.0001/omo-9781561592630-e-0000022402.
Prokofiev, Sergei, Quartet No. 2 Op. 92 (New York City: International Music Company, 1948), 14. mm. 5 – 11.
