3. The Fifth
— “Most avowedly ‘correct’ and self-reforming. The Symphony
was planned to represent the ‘maturing of a human
personality,’ passing from private or neurotic discord to a
reaffirmation of purpose, identified of course with social
progress at large.” (Norris, p175).
— Co-insided with period of show trials and repression before
the war – 1936 -9 ‘Great Terror’. Old Bolshevics removed and
many executed. Marshal Tukhachevsky shot after arrest.
Zinoviev, Trotsky, Kamemev.
— Sixth (1939) not a continuation of 5th. Connects more with
the 4h – in 3 movement. Great sense of build over a long
expanse to highly charged ending.
— B minor tp D minor to B major at the end of last movement.
4. Sixth Symphony – Not the Lenin
Symphony?
— 1939: Bizarre succession of unrelated moods parallels the
contradictory spirit of the times. Disappointed those that had
loved the 5th. Three movements.
— It does not really connect with the Fifth. The Sixth Symphony
is unusual in structure, beginning with a long and
introspective slow movement, followed by two short
movements: a scherzo and a galop (like a rondo).
— The third movement galop is the movement Shostakovich
himself thought was most successful. On average, the first
movement is 15–20 minutes long, the second movement is 4–6
minutes long, and the third movement is 5–7 minutes long.
— Was to be a Lenin symphony it did not end up that way.
5.
6. — Approachable but very creative. Darkness to light.
— All mvts ABAB sonata form without a real development
section.
— In all mvts the two themes are in different metres (eith
2 or 3) and different key – major/minor.
12. War
— Soviet Russia is plunged into War when German
unexpectedly attacks in 1941. They had been allies –
and had both taken Poland and this started the war.
— However Russia is unprepared for a major war and the
Germans easily overrun eastern Europe.
— The war is a disaster for Stalin at first – he mobises the
whole country and suprisingly the internal terror eases
in this period.
— Is OK to have friends in the West?
