Fateful periods and thaws
Tchaikovsky is the most popular Russian composer of the 19th century, whilst Schostakowitsch is the most frequently performed of the 20th. Is he, then, the Tchaikovsky of our time? Sigfried Schibli explores this question and shows where the comparison holds true and where it does not. He traces a path from the ‘fate’ theme in Tchaikovsky’s Fourth Symphony to Schostakowitsch’s Cello Concerto – in which the composer immortalised himself with his D–E flat–C–B motif – and on to a Georgian song that Stalin was particularly fond of.
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky is the most popular Russian composer of the 19th century. Dmitri Schostakowitsch is the most frequently performed Russian composer of the 20th century. Is it not reasonable to conclude from this that Schostakowitsch is the Tchaikovsky of our time? The fact is that, in concert halls around the world today, symphonies by the modern classic Schostakowitsch are performed almost as often as those by the late Romantic composer of the Symphony No. 4 in F minor, which will be performed at the Sinfonieorchesters Basel’s November concert.
Like many comparisons, this one is only valid to a limited extent. Certainly, traces of their life stories are evident in the works of both Russian masters. However, whilst Tchaikovsky’s work reflected his unhappy marriage in 1877 and his suffering from his unfulfilled homosexuality, Schostakowitsch’s work was shaped by the constraints of Stalinist cultural policy. Tchaikovsky was able to write whatever and however he wished, whilst Schostakowitsch was subject to the dictates of ‘Socialist Realism’.
It was a matter of course for a Soviet composer to engage with Russia’s musical tradition. In a speech to young Soviet composers in 1955, Schostakowitsch discussed Tchaikovsky and, in particular, his Fourth Symphony. He argued that music should not merely give expression to a single mood; rather, it depends on contrast. Tchaikovsky had demonstrated this in the finale of his ‘Fate’ Symphony. ‘ ‘Imagine,’ said Schostakowitsch, ‘how this music would lose its impact if it were entirely cheerful and festive, and were not interrupted by the “Fate theme” familiar from the preceding movements!’
his strongly rhythmic theme stands like a mighty portal at the beginning of the four-movement symphony, composed in 1877. The triplet sixteenth notes pound at the door like inescapable fate – in the long first movement, but also in the finale. In the lyrical second movement and in the third, with its charming pizzicato sound, the theme pauses, only to assert itself all the more powerfully in the finale. Although the music has shifted from a minor to a major key and also makes room for a Russian folk song (Vo pole bereza, ‘There stood a birch tree’), fate, in the form of the pulsating F minor theme, cannot be entirely ignored.
Schostakowitsch’s First Concerto for Cello and Orchestra in E-flat major is also in four movements and has a march-like character. The composer dedicated it to the cellist Mstislav Rostropovich (1927–2007). He admitted that he had written it under the influence of Sergei Prokofiev’s ‘Symphonic Concerto’, which in turn is closely associated with the name Rostropovich. Both works were premiered by this outstanding soloist.
A characteristic feature of Schostakowitsch’s work was his preference for short, meaningful motifs modelled on Johann Sebastian Bach’s ‘B-A-C-H’ works. His name symbol was D-E-C-H – the initials of his name. The Cello Concerto begins with a similar motif, namely the notes G-E-H-B. It runs through the first movement, in which the solo horn acts as a sort of second solo instrument alongside the cello.
Each of the four movements has its own distinct character. The march-like first movement is followed by a folk-song-like movement, on which the solo horn initially leaves its mark. The closing section is of unprecedented sonic appeal, in which the cello’s high harmonics, together with the celesta and horn, create an enchanting, otherworldly atmosphere. What a contrast to the harsh, whipping character of the first and final movements!
In almost every instrumental concerto there is a grand cadenza for the solo instrument. In this case, it has been expanded into a movement in its own right: a 148-bar cello monologue in which lyricism and march are combined. A frenzied finale, characterised by ostinato figures and brief interjections of the four-note motif, brings this work – lasting a good half-hour – to a close. As Schostakowitsch confided to the cellist Rostropovich, a Georgian song (Suliko) is woven into it. Joseph Stalin, the dictator who hailed from Georgia, was particularly fond of this song. As he had died six years before this score was composed and the so-called ‘thaw’ was now in full swing, the question arises as to whether Schostakowitsch really intended this work to commemorate the Georgian Stalin.
Author: Sigfried Schibli