Notes for: August 4, 2015
Shostakovich was one of the most prolific of 20th century composers, producing 15 symphonies, six concertos, four operas, four ballets, 15 string quartets, five other major chamber works, 24 preludes and fugues for the piano and several song cycles. Moreover, he maintained that pace notwithstanding his frequent bouts with Soviet authorities including Stalin himself, which blocked the performance of his music.
To pay his bills, he composed music for the Soviet Union’s giant film industry, producing music for 36 motion pictures over a 50-year period. To supplement that income and keep his name before the public, he asked his friend Lev Atovmian, a film director and script writer, to arrange suites of his film and ballet music for home and school performance.
This is one such suite. According to The DSCH Journal - the international authority on Shostakovich’s music — the five pieces are drawn from a variety of ballet and film sources. Shostakovich himself had used them more than once, and the original sources given in the published score are often in error.
As might be expected, the Five Pieces are easy-to-follow film background music, suitable more for entertainment than for serious listening. The opening Prelude is sentimental and occasionally played as a separate piece. The second piece is a lively dance entitled Gavotte. Next is a lilting tune with the curious title Elegy. A swinging Waltz follows, and. the suite ends with a fast gypsy-style Polka.