Shostakovich: Violin Concerto 1,2번

 

 

Shostakovich

 

 

 Violin Concerto No.1 in A minor

 

 

The Violin Concerto No. 1 in A minor, Opus 77, was originally written by Dmitri Shostakovich in

1947–48. He was still working on the piece at the time of the Zhdanov decree, and in the period following the composer's denunciation the work could not be performed. In the time between the work's initial completion and the first performance on 29 October 1955, the composer and its dedicatee, David Oistrakh, worked on a number of revisions. The work was finally premiered by the Leningrad Philharmonic under Yevgeny Mravinsky. It was well received, Oistrakh remarking on the "depth of its artistic content" and describing the violin part as a "pithy 'Shakespearian' role".

 

Oistrakh characterised the first movement Nocturne as "a suppression of feelings", and the second movement Scherzo as "demoniac". The Scherzo is also notable for an appearance by the DSCH motif—a motif that reoccurs in many of the composer's works representing Shostakovich himself. Boris Schwarz (Music and Musical Life in Soviet Russia, 1972), commented on the Passacaglia's "lapidary grandeur" and the Burlesque's "devil-may-care abandonment". The beginning of the Passacaglia is also notable for its juxtaposition of the invasion or Stalin theme from the Seventh Symphony and the fate motif from Beethoven's Fifth Symphony.

 

The Concerto was written for Oistrakh, and Shostakovich initially played the work for the violinist in 1948. In the intervening years, the Concerto was edited by Shostakovich and Oistrakh. Oistrakh's two recordings of the Concerto are widely considered the definitive recordings of the work

 

Structure

The concerto lasts around 35 minutes and has four movements, with a cadenza linking the final two:

1. Nocturne: Moderato – A semi-homage to the first movement of Elgar's Cello Concerto.
2. Scherzo: Allegro – Demonic dance. The DSCH motif can be heard in the background at times, with a final appearance near the end in the solo violin part.
3. Passacaglia: Andante – Cadenza (attacca) – Utilizes Beethoven's fate motif, incorporating it into the pre-burlesque cadenza. The DSCH motif is incorporated into a set of chords in the cadenza.
4. Burlesque: Allegro con brio – Presto – The theme in the solo violin's entrance resembles that of the solo flute's entrance in Stravinsky's Petrouchka.

 

 Hilary Hahn, violin
Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra
Riccardo Chailly, conductor
January 11, 2002
Grote Zaal, Concertgebouw, Amsterdam

       

I. Nocturne (00:00)
II. Scherzo (12:27)
III. Passacaglia (18:25)
IV. Burlesque (32:47)

 

Violin Concerto No.2 in C sharp minor

I. Moderato (00:00)
II. Adagio (11:55)
III. Adagio - Allegro (19:59)

David Oistrakh, violin

Mosow Philharmonic Orchestra
Gennady Rozhdestvensky, conductor

September 27, 1968