# Wild Shostakovich



## Heck148 (Oct 27, 2016)

Stravinsky's cosmic "Rite of Spring", was novel in so many ways - one of which was the extreme violence, and wildness of certain sections of the music…Many major 20th century composers were influenced by this - Bartok [Miraculous Mandarin], Prokofieff [ Scythian Suite] being two such examples. Shostakovich of course got into the act, big-time, and he wrote some of the wildest, most violent, possessed music of any in the repertoire - 
Some scenes in the early Ballets - Age of Gold, Bolt - are pretty fast, loud, percussive and..wild - some of the Galops, Fanfares, Dances etc - the Dance of the Young Communist League from the Bolt is one such example
Shostakovich went even further in later works - the symphonies feature several such movements - Sym #11/II is certainly one example, the 1905 riot music - vigorous rhythmic bass figure, brass and full-blown percussion battery -
Another example is Sym #10/II - the "Stalin" music - this is a 4 minute storm of unrelenting fury - complete with blazing trumpets and pounding percussion - all up tempo, non-stop action…try Stokowski/CSO, or Mitropoulos/NYPO for a wild ride….

But, perhaps, Shostakovich achieved his wildest music in Lady Macbeth of Mtzensk - and this is the work that got him into trouble….
The rape scene is unmatched by much of anything - except perhaps the final scene of Miraculous Mandarin, where the Mandarin, attacked, stabbed, robbed, smothered finally achieves the ultimate embrace of the prostitute, and expires in ecstasy…Here, Shostakovich and Bartok use similar orchestration - and the trombone is the instrument of sexual assault - with blaring, smearing glissandi, relentless in their insistent violence and volume…..Sergei assails Katerina with wild sexual abandon, forcing her to succumb, as she is helpless before his penetration, and….she subsequently falls in love with her assailant…..Rostropovich's complete recording with LondonPO, G. Vishnevskaya [his wife] brings this scene off very effectively, and it is indeed wild and crazy….I also have a version of the Orchestral Suite, with James Conlon and the Cologne Gurzenich PO - and it is also very excellent, perhaps even better - the trombones are highlighted, and they make a riotously raucous racket!! What a blaring, blasting assault!! DS then graphically depicts the anatomical loss of post-coital potency thru descending glissandi - a musically depicted _soft-on_, so to speak…

Later in the opera- Shostakovich again creates a riot of cacophonous mayhem - when the Old Wino, prowling around in the basement, discovers the dead body of Zinoviy, one of Sergei and Katerina's victims - he totally freaks out, running around holding his nose, goes into a total mental meltdown, eventually racing off to the police station...this is Shostakovich at his wildest and craziest!! Here Rostropovich/LPO is superb in their depiction of the Old Wino's totally dissolution - it is reminiscent of Sym 10/II, maybe even crazier - bravo to the LPO percussion section [the deep tom-toms make a marvelous effect].…Shostakovich could certainly pen some wild music -I think this may take the cake.
What other examples do you know of Shostakovich at his wildest, craziest??


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## Tchaikov6 (Mar 30, 2016)

No mention of the fifth symphony's second and last movements? Second is a complete imitation of a wild Mahler scherzo, and the fourth is a "joyous" (though really mocking and deceitful) movement that can get very wild.


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## Heck148 (Oct 27, 2016)

Tchaikov6 said:


> No mention of the fifth symphony's second and last movements? Second is a complete imitation of a wild Mahler scherzo, and the fourth is a "joyous" (though really mocking and deceitful) movement that can get very wild.


Shost #5/II & !V are definitely rollicking, and propelling - esp 5/IV taken at Bernstein's tempo...but they, by design, do not have that wild, unchecked abandon that some other excerpts display...


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## Vasks (Dec 9, 2013)

There are clearly some terrifying moments in the "Execution of Stepan Razin" although I can not pinpoint them


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## elgar's ghost (Aug 8, 2010)

I immediately thought of his early opera _The Nose_ (1927-28). Here, Shostakovich's music is often frantic which perfectly compliments the farcical/satirical nature of Gogol's short story. The same also applies to some of the music he provided for the stage revue _Hypothetically Murdered_ (1931). Then there is what sounds like a fight to the finish between the two contrasting themes in the finale of his tenth symphony.


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## hpowders (Dec 23, 2013)

The fugue of the Fourth Symphony is wild enough Shostakovich, as far as I am concerned.


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## Heck148 (Oct 27, 2016)

elgars ghost said:


> I immediately thought of his early opera _The Nose_ (1927-28). Here, Shostakovich's music is often frantic which perfectly compliments the farcical/satirical nature of Gogol's short story.


Yes, "the Nose". I have a recording of this, that I've only listened to a couple of times....must give another concentrated audition...also - there are probably so good examples from his extensive list of film scores...


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## Rys (Nov 26, 2016)

Nothing but symphonies and operas! What about the second movement of the 8th String Quartet.


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## Tchaikov6 (Mar 30, 2016)

Also adding the first piano sonata. Parts of it get very wild.


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## KenOC (Mar 7, 2011)

Tchaikov6 said:


> Also adding the first piano sonata. Parts of it get very wild.


And the Scherzo from the 1st Violin Concerto.


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## Tchaikov6 (Mar 30, 2016)

KenOC said:


> And the Scherzo from the 1st Violin Concerto.


Indeed- especially performed by Hilary Hahn who takes it at a really fast tempo.


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## Pugg (Aug 8, 2014)

Tchaikov6 said:


> Also adding the first piano sonata. Parts of it get very wild.


Too wild for my taste.


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## Heck148 (Oct 27, 2016)

Tchaikov6 said:


> Also adding the first piano sonata. Parts of it get very wild.


 I don't know this piece.. I'll have to check it out


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## Omicron9 (Oct 13, 2016)

Symphony 14 has some very intense moments; love it.


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## hpowders (Dec 23, 2013)

Omicron9 said:


> Symphony 14 has some very intense moments; love it.


Yes. The 14th is one of Shostakovich's greatest symphonies.


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## Omicron9 (Oct 13, 2016)

hpowders said:


> Yes. The 14th is one of Shostakovich's greatest symphonies.


Agreed. One of my very favorites of his.


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## Heck148 (Oct 27, 2016)

elgars ghost said:


> I immediately thought of his early opera _The Nose_ (1927-28). Here, Shostakovich's music is often frantic which perfectly compliments the farcical/satirical nature of Gogol's short story. The same also applies to some of the music he provided for the stage revue _Hypothetically Murdered_ (1931). Then there is what sounds like a fight to the finish between the two contrasting themes in the finale of his tenth symphony.


I've been listening to "The Nose" recently, and it indeed has some choice "wild Shostakovich"...great orchestral score...similar to his ballets "Age of Gold" and "Bolt"....very colorful and flamboyant....great trumpet, trombone, bassoon and percussion stuff....some real crazy scenes....delicious!!


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## malvinrisan (Feb 17, 2017)

Have you seen ROH version on The Nose. It's free on youtube. I liked it very much. Highest quality!


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## Kjetil Heggelund (Jan 4, 2016)

Wild Shostakovich? Yes, please. This is my favorite that I got in the late 80's, and still my favorite Shostakovich. The ending is the most awesome ever!


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## KenOC (Mar 7, 2011)

Here's an even awesomer ending! Petrenko takes a full five minutes for the final crescendo. Looks like the album can be streamed free if you're an Amazon Prime member.


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