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This is an excerpt from the program notes to a very famous piece of music:

"The stately, march-like theme, tip-toeing on woodwind and strings, simply oozes “classical” - in spite of some harmonic mischief in which the piano is a willing collaborator. We might suspect, after the piano has set off like the clappers, that the strident first trumpet has also been at the vodka. The subsequent variation is more naively playful, the piano bouncing around like a golf ball in a squash court. Then – astonishment! It’s as if the ball-game had been interrupted by a vision of loveliness. The rowdy world recedes, veiled by impressionistic enchantment. Finally, a nervously pugilistic piano breaks the spell. A huge head of steam builds, then dissolves into the original theme. This, decorated by flickering piano arabesques finally dissolves with a pang of regret. "

Any guesses what piece he is referring to?

Here is another one. This is a review of another very famous piece of music, written shortly after the premier:

"For a while it proceeds soberly, musically, and not mindlessly, but soon vulgarity gains the upper hand and dominates until the end of the first movement. The violin is no longer played; it is tugged about, torn, beaten black and blue. . . . The adagio is well on the way to reconciling us and winning us over, but it soon breaks off to make way for a finale that transports us to the brutal and wretched jollity of a Russian church festival. We see a host of savage, vulgar faces, we hear crude curses, and smell the booze. In the course of a discussion of obscene illustrations, Friedrich Vischer once maintained that there were pictures which one could see stink. _____________ for the first time confronts us with the hideous idea that there may be compositions whose stink one can hear."

And one more. This was written by the composer himself in reference to his very famous piece of music:

"What exultation could there be? I think it is clear to everyone what happens in the Fifth. The rejoicing is forced, created under threat... It's as if someone were beating you with a stick and saying `Your business is rejoicing, your business is rejoicing,' and you rise, shaky, and go marching off, muttering, `Our business is rejoicing, our business is rejoicing.' What kind of apotheosis is that? You have to be a complete oaf not to hear that."


Guess away! (there are some pretty good clues in all three of these)

Tchaikovsky Violin Concerto! Hanslick was cruel to most of Tchaikovsky's works.

I won't spoil the other two.

Got to be Shosty! (5th Symphony)

The first could well be the second movement of Prokofiev's 3rd concerto.

Do you really think he said that? it sounds more like Solomon Volkov to me.

"The rejoicing is forced, created under threat"

My knowledge of this era of history isn't too great - but I think that his 5th symphony was his first successful work after his music was denounced by Stalin et al, mainly because of the (seemingly) patriotic 4th movement.....I just thought it fitted the mood of the that movement quite well.

Exactly. But I feel in hindsight we tend to read too much into that last movement. And Solomon Volkov, anxious for us to perceive Shostakovich as the great secret dissident, has certainly advanced his agenda here. I don't believe Shostakovich really felt that way about his 5th symphony at the time it was written, but was most likely encouraged by Volkov to talk that way for posterity- if indeed Shostakovich even said anything remotely like that quote.

I buy that. I do agree that people do tend to read too much into music - the same goes for literature. I find it gets in the way of your appreciation of the music somewhat if you over analyse it for hidden meanings etc...

Very much! The issue of Shostakovich vs Volkov has been hotly debated in the press for a number of years (primarily the New York-London axis) and I've witnessed some very hotheaded exchanges!

Have you read Shostakovich Reconsidered? I think it's be the most reasonable account yet. Testimony and The New Shostakovich sort of amount to crazies yelling at each other from different sides of the aisle.