Shostakovich: Symphony No. 7, 'leningrad'

Description

Dmitry Shostakovich (1906-1975)Symphony No. 7 'Leningrad', Op. 60Few symphonies since Beethoven's Fifth have attracted thedegree of extra-musical speculation accorded Shostakovich's Leningrad Symphony.Although ideas for a Seventh Symphony had begun coming to mind the previousyear, the work that emerged has been regarded as an uninhibited response to theNazi invasion of the Soviet Union in June 1941 - the ensuing siege of Leningradlasting for 870 days and costing over a million lives. Shostakovich beganworking on the new symphony in the besieged city that July, completing thefirst three movements by the end of September. In early October he and his wifeand children were evacuated, first to Moscow and then to the city of Kuibyshev(later Samara). He finished the whole work towards the end of December. The first movement begins confidently, the striding openingtheme on strings in strong contrast with the pastoral theme, featuring delicatecontributions from woodwind, preceding it. This fades out, to be replaced by anidea on pizzicato violins over a quietly insistent side drum rhythm. Thusbegins the notorious 'war machine' crescendo, which replaces the expecteddevelopment section. Pizzicato violins are succeeded in turn by flute andcellos, upper woodwind and strings, alternating oboe and bassoon, muted brass,intertwining woodwind; then violins, full strings, horns and violins, brass andstrings, upper strings and brass with percussion, finally the full orchestralpanoply, assisted by three side-drummers. A new martial theme suddenly breaksin, driving the movement to a dramatic apex where its opening theme sounds outin baleful, brutalised terms. The music calms to a wistful recall of the secondtheme, presaging a stoical recall of the first theme by bassoon over detachedpiano chords. Sombre brass motifs frame an achingly nostalgic transformation ofthis theme, then pizzicato strings and distant side drum quizzically recall the'war theme' to round off the movement. The second movement is a rare example in Shostakovich of asymphonic intermezzo, evocative but essentially abstract in nature. Theviolin's elegant opening idea is followed by a plaintive melody for oboe,accompanied then succeeded by strings. The shrill woodwind and vaunting brassof the central section lead to a martial theme which echoes that of thepreceding movement. The opening theme is recalled, then the plaintive melody onbass clarinet, imaginatively accompanied by harp and flute. The first thememakes a hesitant final appearance, and the movement ends in uneasy repose. Plangent woodwind open the third movement with aStravinskian chorale (the Symphony of Psalms was a work Shostakovich studiedintensively both before and during the symphony's composition), answered by animpassioned threnody for upper strings. The contrast is reiterated, followed bya bassoon rejoinder. Over pizzicato strings, flutes sound out a pensive melodyto which other woodwind add their counterpoints. Strings gently take over