In 1957,
Dmitri Shostakovich set upon composing his second piano concerto. After his first demonstrated an atypical construct of tone rows, and classic Shostakovich like sombre motifs, his second was composed for his son, Maxim’s, 19th birthday. Maxim would actually go on to premiere the piece on the date of his 19th birthday, May 10th, 1957. Naturally, the concerto is therefore a bit more jovial than his other efforts; making this a refreshing listen, at least by his standards.
Following the death of
Joseph Stalin, the USSR underwent a major social change. Due to the communistic dictatorship from Stalin which left many artists alike exiled, or shunned, his death marked a turning point for the artwork which ensued. Such a turning point found its necessary path to the now well known Shostakovich. Not only is this work of a social importance for the composer, it was also written in the composer’s apex period, which saw other monumental works such as his Tenth Symphony give rise to important personification in music from such a restrained part of the world.
Not many will be appropriately familiar with music from Shostakovich, so such a piano concerto to the general population may seem a bit redundant. However, often overlooked is the second movement,
“Andante,” which is probably one of his most recognisable and moving pieces ever composed. The strings commence the piece very subdued, and sorrowful, which will probably startle many listeners, who by now are accustomed to the sheik rhythmical interplay witnessed in the first movement. For a while, it appears if the piece is comprised of static chords, but almost inaudibly, the piano begins to scribe its musical ink all over the page effortlessly. Such harmonic quality is rarely witnessed in a lot of concerto music, and yet while the movement is purely serene in design, another haunting presence seems to linger about the pianists hands, in a rather disturbing way. It simply could be Shostakovich trying to demonstrate emotional decay, but perhaps it has more to do with the composer’s darker past which certainly would still have haunted him.
So many critics have dismissed many of Shostakovich’s concertos, as merely same-ol’ musical jargon, only derived from earlier composers. Indeed, this concerto doesn’t have a whole lot to offer, musically, with the exception of
“Andante.” But in a unique twist of events, the final movement,
“Allegro,” if played correctly and to a quick tempo, can be thoroughly enjoyed, especially if both musical parties (mainly piano and wind section) can maintain performance tightness. Shostakovich himself often played this movement to exceedingly fast tempos, which today aren’t witnessed in most recordings. Part of the reason behind this was to encourage his son, to practice the infamous finger exercises determined by
Charles-Louis Hanon at speed.
It’s an interesting work to say the least. It’s a work which was written for many accounts, from his son’s stubbornness to play Hanon, to his son’s actual birthday, and then onto personal celebration from an important musical era for him. Such a work, like so many others, can only be fully enjoyed through either live performance, or more idealistically, personal musical understanding, but by and large the piece should entertain most.
