Shostakovich, Prokofiev & Weill: Works for Violin & Piano
2/10/2015, 41 Tracks, 54:25
Featuring
Benjamin Schmid
Lisa Smirnova
Dmitri Shostakovich
Sergei Prokofiev
Kurt Weill
Did you know?
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Composition History
Dmitri Shostakovich composed his Preludes Op. 34 in 1932/33, giving the complete first performance of the original version in Moscow on May 24, 1933, to great acclaim.
Compositional Technique
The Preludes Op. 34 by Dmitri Shostakovich are characterized by dance-like verve, sparkling color, playful wit, and satirical moodiness, often tinged with apprehension.
Composition History
Sergei Prokofiev wrote his Visions fugitives Op. 22 during the great upheavals in Europe between 1915 and 1917, premiering the original version in Petrograd on April 15, 1918.
Composer's Artistic Vision
Kurt Weill, a pupil of Busoni, aimed for his singspiels, folk operas, and musicals to be understood by 'ordinary people' using an approachable, simple melodic style.
Cultural Impact
Kurt Weill's music for Bertolt Brecht's Threepenny Opera, written in 1928, features 'earworm' melodies that are laconic, hard-bitten, and full of 1920s charm.
Composer's Artistic Vision
Sergei Prokofiev's Visions fugitives were inspired by lines from Russian lyric poet Konstantin Balmont: 'In every fleeting vision I see worlds filled with the interplay of rainbow colours.'
Composer Biography
At the time of composing Op. 34, Dmitri Shostakovich was an undisputed young master musician of the new Soviet Union and an international celebrity since the success of his Symphony No. 1 in Berlin in 1927.
