S is for Shostakovich

One of the great symphonists and perhaps one of the last of the “traditional” composers for that genre. I think in many ways Shostakovich is the Beethoven of the 20th century. Like Beethoven, Shostakovich wrote in many genres (solo piano, opera, string quartet) but the symphony is where he left his mark and I think it's what he'd like to be remembered by most. Also you get the idea that his symphonies were earned. He worked at them, refined them, and perfected them and the results are powerful symphonies that, like them or not, can hardly be faulted. Each symphony is unique and a journey unto itself. They are not pieces that you can passively listen to and enjoy. They demand close attention and emotional involvement. When you finish listening to one, you are emotionally spent and I wouldn't recommend listening to anything else for an hour two afterwards. His writing is that powerful.

Shostakovich has a particular sound to his writing that is not easy to explain. It probably would be if I bothered to really analyze his scores or something, but instead I'll just feebly try to describe it using lots of simile and such. Rhythm is very important in Shostakovich. You have lots of strong accents and basically simple rhythmic patterns through most of his output. The snare drum is never far away and it has a crisp punctuation that gives a militaristic drive to the music. That drive also seems to happen harmonically. He doesn't shy away from dissonant passages and doesn't really try to finesse them either. He powers through dissonance as if he didn't realize you're not supposed to write pieces that way. I think the result is what gives him that unique sound and singular force that makes him so appealing to me.

But as I said before, he wrote in many genres with equal skill. While I love the symphony I've often thought of the string quartet to be the true litmus of a composer. Sure, anyone can make 60 different instruments sound interesting, but can you do it with 4? That's the gold standard. Shostakovich passes easily in this category. He wrote 15 quartets or so that all have a similar feel to his symphonies, just scaled down a bit. Like his symphonies, there are sections that are bombastic, but there are also moments where he becomes so intimate as to be almost uncomfortable. The first 2 movements of Quartet #8 show this quite well. The opening 5 minutes or so are subdued but at around the 5:20 mark (in this video) the gates swing open and out leaps a galloping steed flaring fire and brimstone. Frickin' sweet.

Symphony 5. It's almost as ubiquitous as Pachelbel's Canon or Khachaturian's Sabre dance when you are talking about Shostakovich. No other piece of his has gained the playtime or popularity of his fifth, especially the last movement. It is fully deserved and that's pretty much all I'll say about that. Here's a performance for you.