Four Centuries of Great Music August 10, 2025 Honoring Dmitri Shostakovich on the 50th Anniversary of his Death

Today on Four Centuries of Great Music I am commemorating  the 50th anniversary of the death of Dmitri Shostakovich which was yesterday August 9th.  Shostakovich was a major influence internationally on 20th concert music and I want to honor his legacy and music with this episode of Four Centuries of Great Music.

Born on September 25,  1906 in Saint Petersburg, Russia,  Dmitri Shostakovich displayed musical talent after he began piano lessons with his mother at the age of nine. On several occasions, he displayed a remarkable ability to remember what his mother had played at the previous lesson, and at the age of 11, he wrote a funeral march in memory of two leaders of the constitutional democratic  party murdered by Bolshevik sailors.

In 1919, at age 13, Shostakovich was admitted to the Petrograd Conservatory, then headed by Alexander Glazunov, who monitored his progress closely and promoted him.  Shostakovich studied piano, composition and counterpoint and fugue.  In 1925, he enrolled in the conducting classes of Nikolai Malko, where he conducted the conservatory orchestra in a private performance of Beethoven's First Symphony. 

Shostakovich's musical breakthrough was the First Symphony, written as his graduation piece at the age of 19. Initially Shostakovich aspired to perform it only privately with the conservatory orchestra, but 1925 his teacher, Malko conducted its premiere with the Leningrad Philharmonic Orchestra on May 12, 1926.  The audience received it enthusiastically, demanding an encore of the scherzo.  Word of this work spread quickly and it was soon being played throughout Europe.  The American premiere of Shostakovich's Symphony No. 1 was performed by the Philadelphia Orchestra on November 6, 1928, with Leopold Stokowski conducting at Carnegie Hall.

Let’s listen to this seminal work by Shostakovich first brought him to fame which in in 4 movements.  

The first movement is marked Allegretto – Allegro non troppo 
The second movement is marked Allegro – Meno mosso – Allegro – Meno mosso 
The third movement is marked Lento, Largo
The fourth movement is marked Allegro molto – Lento – Allegro molto – Meno mosso – Allegro molto – Molto meno mosso – Adagio

Here is a performance of Dmitri Shostakovich:  Symphony No.1 in F minor Op.10 by ROYAL PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA conducted by JASCHA HORENSTEIN from the album
JASCHA HORENSTEIN: DMITRI SHOSTAKOVICH Symphony No.1 and CARL NIELSEN Symphony No.5
ICA Classics


Dmitri Shostakovich:  Symphony No.1 in F minor Op.10 - I. Allegretto – Allegro non troppo 
Dmitri Shostakovich:  Symphony No.1 in F minor Op.10 - II. Allegro 
Dmitri Shostakovich:  Symphony No.1 in F minor Op.10 - III. Lento 
Dmitri Shostakovich:  Symphony No.1 in F minor Op.10 -  IV. Allegro molto 9.39

His second symphony was much more modern in it’s sound and wasn’t as much of a success as his first but he continued with this more modern approach which led him to conflict with the Russian communist government lead by Stalin.  Shostakovich was writing orchestral works, several lighter musical dramatic works and in January 1934 premiered his serious opera Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk, Op. 29. It was based upon the novel by Nikolai Leskov and dealt with sexual assault, infidelity, and murder.   On January 26, 1936 Stalin visited the opera specifically to hear Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk. He and his entourage left after the first act without speaking to anyone.  Eyewitness accounts testify that Shostakovich was "white as a sheet" when he went to take his bow after the third act.  Initially the reviews were very positive but the January 28th edition of Pravda, the official Communist Party newspaper condemned  the work.   This review was the signal for a nationwide campaign of increasing condemnation of Shostakovich and many of his other works, during which even Soviet music critics who had praised the opera were forced to recant in print, saying they "failed to detect the shortcomings of Lady Macbeth as pointed out by Pravda”.  Shostakovich was defended by other composers and musicians to no avail.  Government cultural administrators instructed the composer to "reject formalist errors and in his art attain something that could be understood by the broad masses”.  The Pravda campaign against Shostakovich caused his commissions and concert appearances, and performances of his music, to decline markedly and put him into poverty and depression.  He recanted repeatedly particularly during Stalin’s Great Terror, of the middle 1930s that resulted in the arrest, imprisonment and murder of many of Shostakovich's friends.  

Let’s listen to the first act of Dmitri Shostakovich Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk, Op. 29 as performed by the Boston Symphony Orchestra, the Tanglewood Festival Chorus and the New England Conservatory Symphonic Choir and soloists conducted by Andris Nelsons fro the album Lady Macbeth of the Mtsensk District Deutsche Grammophon


Shostakovich’s Symphony No. 5 written in 1937 was a pivotal work composed after facing criticism for Lady Macbeth that many consider his most famous. With the release of his Fifth Symphony in D minor, he admitted to some previous“failures” and vowed “to show the Soviet listener that I have taken a turn towards greater accessibility, towards greater simplicity.” Whether this forced confession was sincere, the harmonic style and formal structure of the Fifth Symphony – today the most
frequently performed of the fifteen – are clearly more “accessible” in certain ways.  Coming after a doleful third movement, the Fifth’s stirring finale apparently conforms to the requirements of how a good Socialist Realist symphony should end. The violins insistently repeat the root of an affirmative D major chord, with the bass drum beating out core of the rhythmic pattern of the  movement.  But debate still rages over whether Shostakovich was poking fun at the official mania for simple happy endings, making us wonder if he is secretly laughing at his critics’ primitive tastes in music.  Premiered on 21 November 1937 in Leningrad, it was a phenomenal success. The success put Shostakovich in good standing once again. Music critics and the authorities alike, including those who had earlier accused him of formalism, claimed that he had learned from his mistakes and become a true Soviet artist. In the United States the work was championed by Leonard Bernstein.  Shostakovich’s Symphony No. 5 in D minor, Op. 47 is in 4 movements marked  moderato, allegretto, largo and allegro non troppo.

Let’s listen to a performance of Dmitri Shostakovich’s Symphony No. 5 in D minor, Op. 47 by Leonard Bernstein conducting the New York Philharmonic from the album Shostakovich: Symphony No. 5 in D Minor, Op. 47 Sony/Columbia Records

You have been listening to a performance of Dmitri Shostakovich’s Symphony No. 5 in D minor, Op. 47 by Leonard Bernstein conducting the New York Philharmonic from the album Shostakovich: Symphony No. 5 in D Minor, Op. 47

Dmitri Shostakovich: Symphony No. 5 in D Minor, Op. 47 - I. Moderato
Dmitri Shostakovich: Symphony No. 5 in D Minor, Op. 47 - I. Allegretto
Dmitri Shostakovich: Symphony No. 5 in D Minor, Op. 47 - I. Largo
Dmitri Shostakovich: Symphony No. 5 in D Minor, Op. 47 - I. Allegro non troppo

It was also about this time he started writing chamber music including his remarkable 15 string quartets written over a period of 36 years from 1938 to 1974. The string quartets are considered  to be one of the most significant parts of his musical output and are known for their depth of personal expression.  Unfortunately we have tie to listen to any of these string quartets.  But let me recommend to you some of his quartets to listen to.

His String Quartet No. 8 in C minor, Op. 110  was composed in 1960.  This quartet is intensely personal and autobiographical. It is dedicated to the victims of fascism and war, but also incorporates the composer's own musical motto, "DSCH" (D. Shostakovich), making it a powerful self-portrait. The quartet features dramatic and melancholic passages, and its deeply personal nature makes it a cornerstone of his quartet output. It's frequently cited as a must-hear for its emotional impact and dramatic intensity. 

His String Quartet No. 7 in F sharp minor, Op. 108 also composed in 1960, is notable for its clear structure and melancholic beauty. It's a shorter work, but deeply expressive, and a good starting point for exploring the emotional range of Shostakovich's quartets. 

His String Quartet No. 3 in F major, Op. 73 is a highly regarded work, known for its strong rhythmic drive and colorful orchestration. It's often praised for its energy and intensity, making it a good example of his more outwardly expressive style. 

And his String Quartet No. 15 in E-flat minor, Op. 144 was completed in 1974 at the end of his compositional career. It is a somber and reflective work composed of six slow movements. It represents well the late period in Shostakovich's career, marked by a focus on introspection and a minimalist approach to musical material. It's a powerful and moving experience, showcasing the composer's ability to convey profound emotion with sparse musical means. 

Today on Four Centuries of Great Music I have been commemorating the 50th anniversary of the death of Dmitri Shostakovich which was yesterday August 9th.  Shostakovich was a major influence internationally on 20th concert music and I wanted to honor his legacy and music with this episode of Four Centuries of Great Music.  Thank you for joining me today in this commemoration and join me on Four Centuries of Great Music next Sunday at 3-5pm when we commemorate the life and music of Samuel Coleridge-Taylor because the sesquicentennial of his birth is August 15th.  And also remember that this episode encores on this coming Saturday also from 3-5 pm