Shostakovich: Symphony No. 6 & String Quartet No. 8 (Arr. A. Stasevich for String Orchestra & Timpani)
1/12/2018, 8 Tracks, 56:26
Featuring
Paavo Järvi
Madis Metsamart
Estonian Festival Orchestra
Dmitri Shostakovich
Abram Stasevich
Did you know?
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Composer's Artistic Vision
Shostakovich's Symphony No. 6, a masterpiece, was intended to convey "the moods of spring, joy and youth," despite its grim subtexts reflecting the terror of Soviet reality.
Performer Biography
Paavo Järvi, the conductor, was awarded the Order of the White Star by the President of Estonia in 2013 for his outstanding contribution to Estonian culture.
Composition History
Paavo Järvi, the conductor on this album, met Shostakovich in Pärnu in 1973 when Järvi was ten years old, a moment captured in a family photo.
Composition History
The 'Sinfonietta' on this album is an arrangement of Shostakovich's String Quartet No. 8, orchestrated by his trusted friend Abram Stasevich with the composer's personal blessing.
Composer Biography
Dmitri Shostakovich, a giant of 20th-century music, and violinist David Oistrakh, were among many Soviet artists who summered in Pärnu, Estonia, seeking a degree of Western tolerance.
Composition History
Shostakovich's String Quartet No. 8, dedicated 'In memory of the victims of fascism and war,' moved the composer to tears when performed by the Borodin Quartet in his Moscow home.
Compositional Technique
Shostakovich's String Quartet No. 8, from which the 'Sinfonietta' is arranged, is a musical autobiography that includes citations of his previous works and his personal musical leitmotif, DSCH.
