Dmitri Shostakovich

Dmitri Shostakovich (1906-1975)

Nationality: Russian | Soviet
Born: September 25, 1906, St. Petersburg Died: August 9, 1975, Moscow (age 68)
wikipedia | imslp | chostakovitch.org

Five [5] PIeces

(for 2 violins and piano)
2:30 I. Prelude. Moderato
1:38 II. Gavotte. Tranquillo, molto leggiero
2:41 III. Elegy. Andantino
1:48 IV. Waltz. Tempo di valse, moderato
1:37 V. Polka. Vivace
Duration: 10 minutes (approximately)
Note: Arranged by Lev Atovmian from other works with the composer's sanction
3 recordings, 15 videos
autoopen autoplay
2:27
Brodsky Quartet, Christian Blackshaw
I. Prelude. Moderato
1:41
Brodsky Quartet, Christian Blackshaw
II. Gavotte. Tranquillo, molto leggiero
2:47
Brodsky Quartet, Christian Blackshaw
III. Elegy. Andantino
1:53
Brodsky Quartet, Christian Blackshaw
IV. Waltz. Tempo di valse, moderato
1:33
Brodsky Quartet, Christian Blackshaw
V. Polka. Vivace
2:19
Duo Kondratenko, Maria Vrshkova
I. Prelude. Moderato
1:32
Duo Kondratenko, Maria Vrshkova
II. Gavotte. Tranquillo, molto leggiero
2:27
Duo Kondratenko, Maria Vrshkova
III. Elegy. Andantino
1:39
Duo Kondratenko, Maria Vrshkova
IV. Waltz. Tempo di valse, moderato
1:41
Duo Kondratenko, Maria Vrshkova
V. Polka. Vivace
2:45
Janine Jansen, et. al.
I. Prelude. Moderato
1:40
Janine Jansen, et. al.
II. Gavotte. Tranquillo, molto leggiero
2:50
Janine Jansen, et. al.
III. Elegy. Andantino
1:51
Janine Jansen, et. al.
IV. Waltz. Tempo di valse, moderato
1:36
Janine Jansen, et. al.
V. Polka. Vivace
From Kai Christiansen

Dmitri Shostakovich, 1906-1975

5 Pieces for 2 Violins (arrangement)

Dmitri ShostakovichShostakovich is frankly a 20th century Beethoven. He wrote tons of symphonies, string quartets, film scores, piano music, operas and songs, and his music seems to speak so vividly to so many listeners. While much of his music is epic, intense, dark and rife with spiky modernisms, Shostakovich composed many beautiful, "classical" pieces full of lyricism, personality, fine craftsmanship and sheer musical delight. Among his incidental music, ballets and suites you will find many gems, the likes of which inspired Lev Atovmian, a student of Shostakovich, to arrange these five pieces for violin duo with piano accompaniment. As a very young man, Shostakovich had a job playing piano at the theatre for silent movies improvising a live soundtrack on the fly. These vignettes make a reel of compelling scenes, each one a little short story including a prelude, an elegy and three different dances, each more lively than the last.

© Kai Christiansen Used by permission. All rights reserved.

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glossary

  • andantino—faster than andante, slower than allegretto. Sometimes andantino is interpreted as the opposite: slower than andante
  • chamber music, Kammermusik [G], musique de chambre [F], musica da camera [I], musica cameralis [L]—"Classical Music" for a small ensemble, generally 8 or fewer players with a canonical emphasis on 3-6 players. explore
  • elegy, elégie [F], elegie [G], elegisch, elegiaco, elegaico [I], élégiaque [F], elegia—a plaintive, mournful poem, more specifically a lament for the dead. Usually implies a slow tempo, a minor key and a dark poignancy with potential spikes of tragic agony or, just as well, a gentle, bright flowering into nostalgic love of great tenderness. A musical narrative combining all of these moods is a hauntingly faithful representation of grief
  • gavotte, gavotta—Originally a French folk dance that became a courtly dance with Louis XIV and subsequently used in Baroque suites. Moderate tempo in duple rhythm often beginning on an upbeat in a pick-up measure.
  • leggiero, leggero, con leggerezza, léger [F], légèrement, avec légèreté—lightly, nimbly, quick, graceful
  • moderato [I], moderamente, modéré [F], modérément [F]—moderately, at a moderate tempo, applying a touch of restraint to its related word(s), e.g. allegro moderato
  • molto [It]—very much
  • piece, pièce [F], stück [G], stücke [pl], pezzo [I], pezzi[pl]—a single-movement, self-sufficient musical work. Often used for short, individual works in a set or simply to indicate brevity without a titular suggestion of form or character.Chiefly contrasted with the term "movement", a piece which is an integral part of a larger whole without which it would be incomplete.
  • polka—Lively central-European dance with Bohemian / Czech origins. Typically in 2/4.
  • prelude, prélude, präludium [G], präludien [G, pl], praeludium, preludio—a movement preceding another almost by way of introduction: to let listeners and players acclimate, often to prepare for greater demands ahead
  • tranquillo [It], tranquille [F], tranquillement—tranquil, peaceful, soft
  • transcription, transcribe—To re-score a work for an ensemble of instruments different from the original version. Typical examples include orchestrating piano or chamber works and visa versa. Within the realm of chamber music, a work for winds might be transcribed for strings, a symphony into a string quartet, a trio featuring a clarinet substituting a viola. One interesting question is: who made the transcription, the original composer? One interesting effect is that the transcription may become favored over the original. One of the most curious transcriptions in all of chamber music is Schoenberg's "Verklärte Nacht", transcribed from string sextet to piano trio with amazing success by one of his students.
  • vivace—brisk, lively tempo faster than allegro
  • waltz, valse, walzer, alla valse—a popular dance introduced in Vienna in the 1780s usually in 3/4 time. wiki