Norfolk Symphony Orchestra

Shostakovich’s eighth symphony was first performed in 1943 by the Leningrad Philharmonic and Yevgeny Mravinsky. Along with the seventh and ninth symphonies, it forms a trilogy of “war symphonies” of contrasting character. The seventh symphony, first performed in a besieged Leningrad, had made the composer’s name internationally and the Soviet regime saw that this had very much helped both the morale and prestige of the country. A more triumphal work to follow had perhaps been expected from Shostakovich; the eighth, described by Shostakovich’s friend, Isaak Glickman, as his most tragic work, was therefore effectively banned for eight years. There are, however, parallels with a number of tragedy to triumph C minor symphonies, such as Beethoven’s fifth, Brahms’ first and Mahler’s second, although Shostakovich’s eighth ends quietly.

The structure of the first movement of the eighth is remarkably similar to that of Shostakovich’s fifth symphony. Both begin with the same defiant rhythm although, in the eighth, the second theme has an unsettling five beats in the bar. In both works, the building of hysteria (in the eighth dominated by side drum and bass drum, with woodwind trills and trumpet fanfare) then gives way to a violent allegro. In the eighth, to maintain balance, the extensive opening slow movement is followed by two fast movements. The first of these, described by the composer as a march with elements of a scherzo, is imbued with a viciously sardonic humour, the only refuge for people living in such a savage totalitarian regime. The third movement toccata is a brutally unrelenting perpetuum mobile (perpetual motion) with seemingly endless repetition.
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This gives way to the fourth movement, which begins with cataclysmic chords, reminiscent of the catastrophe at the climax of the first movement. A passacaglia follows, where the music weaves its way over a repeated bass. This form, which Shostakovich often uses at the darkest point of a work, such as in the first violin concerto and the E minor trio, is a tradition in music which can be traced as far back as Dido’s Lament from Purcell’s Dido and Aeneas. As in Beethoven’s fifth symphony, there is no break before the final movement. This is a pastoral rondo dominated by woodwind solos. The calm farewell at the end, with pizzicato strings, contains the music of the opening turned upside down, as though finding some sense of solace and resolution.

Classical various mp3 artists It is perhaps presumptuous to say exactly what the music is about, but it is clear that when Shostakovich was writing the work, he could see that the end of one kind of nightmare, the war against Hitler, would give way to another, life under Stalin. The structure of the symphony may at first appear puzzling. After the tragic drama of the first four movements the fifth may seem trivial but, seen in the context of Shostakovich’s life at this time, it makes sense. The fifth movement is peopled by characters, some of them comic, perhaps analogous to similar characters in a Shakespearean tragedy. After the public emotional journey of the first movement, life somehow goes on.