Dmitri SHOSTAKOVICH (1906-1975)
Ten Poems on texts by Revolutionary Poets, op.88 [35:16]
Ten Russian Folk Songs [27:13]
Chorus of the Moscow Academy of Choral Art/Victor Popov
Tatyana Kravchenko (piano)
rec. Small Hall, Moscow Conservatory, Moscow, Russia, January-April
1998.
BRILLIANT CLASSICS 9414 [62:41]
In common with fellow Soviet composers Shostakovich
did not have an easy time as an artist in the USSR. It is true that
‘it is an ill wind that blows no-one any good’ and that
the strictures and edicts that composers had to work within gave rise
to some great art that we would otherwise not have. Shostakovich’s
own 5th symphony subtitled ‘A Soviet Artist’s
Reply to Just Criticism’ is a case in point. Conversely there
may have been much else that was never composed for the same reasons
for there were few other composers who had the ability to secrete subtexts
within their music that ordinary citizens knew how to decipher which
is something Shostakovich became a master at. That said there are times
when people believe they’ve found subtexts where there aren’t
necessarily any to be found.
The Ten Poems on texts by Revolutionary Poets could be said to
be one such example. Some say simply that it is the composer writing
music that chimes well with the concept of Socialist Realism that held
that music “must serve the people”. Perhaps he could not
have chosen a better subject than poems by revolutionary poets taken
from a collection spanning 1870-1917 published in Leningrad, the year
before the work was written in 1951. Others, however, point to the very
year 1951 as being an indicator that a subtext exists since 1951 was
a particularly difficult year following Zhdanov’s 1948 decree
against ‘formalism’ in music of which Shostakovich himself
had been accused. They have it that this was Shostakovich making a subtle
comparison between the savagery of Tsarist repression that included
‘Bloody Sunday’ that resulted in the failed 1905 revolution
and Stalinist repression during which millions died. It is an argument
that could persist forever and some even add into the mix the fact that
for the first time Shostakovich elected to employ an unaccompanied choir
that could be likened to the singing of a Russian Orthodox Church choir.
The only certainty is its existence which if the supporters of the subtext
theory are correct is another example of great art created against the
odds and once again if true fooled the authorities who awarded it a
Stalin Prize in 1952. What cannot be in dispute is the nature of the
music which was a difficult challenge for Shostakovich to set himself
and is an equally tough one for the choir that tackles it because of
its sudden changes in tempo and mood. It is a tribute to any choir that
takes it on and that produces as wonderful a result as this one does.
Shostakovich proves himself to have been able not only to take on the
challenge of writing for unaccompanied voices but to have composed a
work that is so successful in its declared aim that the listener is
hardly aware that there are no accompanying instruments. All the songs
are powerful statements whether calls to arms, tender love songs or
songs of regret and mourning and leave a lasting impression.
Once again speculation could be made as to why as innocent a composition
as his Ten Russian Folk Songs written in the same year 1951 should
not have been performed until 1971 and that the full cycle should have
remained unpublished until 1985. Several of the songs which are taken
from collections which date from 1896, 1904 and one published as late
as 1943, had their texts changed to suit the patriotism required during
the Great Patriotic War (World War 2). I have often heard the first
of the cycle ‘Clap of thunder over Moscow’ sung by the famous
Red Army Choir despite its origins being from the 1812 war against Napoleon
as are numbers 2-4 and 10. All of them have that special nature that
Russian folksongs have which is so immediately recognisable and that
makes them so internationally popular. The characteristic deep bass
voices are much in evidence as well as some beautiful soprano singing.
Both these song cycles are further demonstrations of the brilliance
of Shostakovich who seemed able to turn his compositional skills to
any genre he chose to take on and to make a success of them. It is interesting
to note that these two works, both of them departures from his significant
symphonic output was immediately preceded by the wonderful 24 Preludes
and Fugues composed and dedicated to the great Tatyana Nikolaeva and
itself both monumental and an especial challenge. All this points to
a composer who was never happy to simply plough a safe and secure path
but one that relished the challenge of pushing himself in different,
difficult and often dangerous directions. He believed that art should
mirror life and whether at times he was constrained or at others fiercely
independent his music is indeed a mirror of life in that country in
the 20th century.
This disc is of music by one of the greatest of all composers of the
last century. It is seldom heard by comparison with most of what he
wrote and proves that it should be heard more frequently. I say bravo
to Brilliant Classics for giving us the opportunity to do so and at
their generously budget price. All are wonderfully sung with a clarity
that enables the music to weave its magic and that it certainly does.
Steve Arloff
