YIKES -- where did the time go? I had a busy week last week, and then this week (7/10 - 16) I'll be traveling to New York City -- and I haven't posted my comments on Shostakovich's piano concerto yet. I'm going to try to get my comments and rating up today -- and just FYI: I will not have a new selection to listen to this week since I will be busy doing Big Apple-y things! Sorry for the delay! YAY -- I had time to compose my comments:
I had such a great time listening to Shostakovich’s Symphony No. 10 last week, I thought I’d choose something else from his repertoire this week. I landed on his Piano Concerto No. 1. Shostakovich wrote six concertos, two for the violin, two for the cello and two for the piano. A list of all of Shostakovich’s works is HERE. Written in 1933, the concerto comprises either three or four movements, depending on the interpretation:
After listening to the piece a few times, I also learned that, “Despite the title, the work might be classified as a double concerto rather than a piano concerto, in which the trumpet and piano command equal prominence. The trumpet parts frequently take the form of sardonic interjections, leavening the humor and wit of the piano passage work. The trumpet does assume relatively equal importance during the conclusion of the last movement, immediately after the cadenza for piano solo.” That information is from an article on Wikipedia, HERE. The concerto begins with a brisk intro by the piano accented by a muted trumpet that happens so quickly, it’s amazing the two musicians can coordinate their work. The piano then introduces the first of several mysterious and haunting melodies that weave in and out of the movement between the piano and the orchestra. For the most part, the tempo maintains a fast clip, and the tone is playful and at times smart-alecky. Portions of the first movement as well as sections of the other movements had the pianist racing around the keys so rapidly I wondered if Shostakovich played the piano himself. Had he written such a demanding piece because he knew what he (and other pianists) were capable of – or had he composed such breakneck runs because he just figured pianists worth their salt could somehow achieve what he envisioned? I Googled searched, “Was Shostakovich a pianist?” and information that surfaced said, “Dmitri Shostakovich was a Sovier-er Russian composed and pianist,” so he definitely knew what he was doing. The second movement, marked “Lento,” does, of course, slow things down, but the melodies are just as haunting and at times taunting. The third movement provides a bit more of a respite from the rush of most of the concerto, but not for long. After about a minute and a half, the piano, the orchestra and the trumpet take off at lightning speed in the final movement. An impish trumpet solo early in the movement provides the pianist a bit of a breather, but soon the concerto takes off again. I am not kidding when I say this piece moves at breakneck speed, and how the players coordinate it all is incredible. Commentors on the YouTube performance of this concerto linked above said, “I never cease to be impressed by trumpet players at the climax of this piece,” “That trumpet playing is ridiculously good. How do you even play a fanfare like that so clean and fast without even using any valve changes?” and “Absolutely amazing!!!!! Breathtaking performance and piece.” AND -- if you have time to listen to the work and watch the video linked above -- wait till you see what happens at the end! : ) I loved Shostakovich's Piano Concerto No. 1.
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A New Hope:As the header above says, each week I will listen to a piece of classical music that I've never heard before, and then I will report out what I thought about it. Archives
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