SHOSTAKOVICH MUSIC REVEALS ITSELF

There is something unwittingly charismatic and alluring about Shostakovich string quartets. At first glance the music appears overly simplistic, repetitive and grim; extended passages of jarring chords, miles of fleeting 16th notes that weave a chromatic sonic fabric, much emptiness on the canvas. And yet…if you dig gently below the surface you are surprised at what appears as the terra firma.  

You begin to ask yourself, “What is the composer REALLY saying here. And who is he speaking to? Does he want me to enjoy the obvious; this or that movement is a dance, or a waltz, or a march. Should I acknowledge a quotation from a previous quartet, or Symphony or concerto?” What begins to crystallize in one’s mind is, “WHY? Why does Shostakovich want me to feel this way, or think this particular thought? What does he want me to know about himself, his life, humanity, the Russian people?”

I think Shostakovich, the chess master, is skillfully playing all of us at once. He avoids being checkmated by Stalin by writing spirited and patriotic music (marches, heroic war themes). He garners the interest of players by writing lines that are idiosyncratic, compelling and not too easy. He also gets the message out, pre-internet style, about the oppression and dogmatic life styles being dictated by the communist party leaders in their quest for power.

This is deeply emotional music. Like aged wine or dark chocolate, it must be savored slowly so that all its boundaries are known and experienced; so that he won’t be forgotten, or taken for granted.

Artaria began learning these quartets under the watchful eyes of our Russian teachers way back in 1989 and this past year we have prepared eight of the fifteen quartets for January 2012. Click here for more Info.