These two short movements for string quartet by Shostakovich – which predate his famous string quartet repertoire – are adaptations of earlier works by the same composer. The Elegy is derived from Katerina’s aria in Act I, Scene 3 of the opera Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk, while the Polka first appeared in his ballet score for The Age of Gold. They were arranged by Shostakovich over the course of a single evening in 1931 as a gift to the Vuillaume Quartet.
Elegy, which must surely stand as one of the composer’s most beautiful utterances, originally accompanied a lament sung by the principal character of the opera as she contemplates a life of oppressive misery and life-denying boredom trapped inside a loveless marriage. The Age of Gold, on the other hand, tells the story of the adventures of a Soviet football team as it visits the West and contrasts the vigor of communist youth with the decadence of the West.The Polka’s grotesque character, a dark parody of works such as Josef Strauss’s Pizzicato Polka, reflects its original setting as an accompaniment to a scene satirizing the appearance of politicians from the League of Nations.Notes by Peter Tregear
Classical Music | Music for Quartet
Dmitry Shostakovich
Polka, for String Quartet Play
Recorded on 10/07/2015, uploaded on 06/02/2016
Musician's or Publisher's Notes
Two Pieces for String Quartet Dmitry Shostakovich
These two short movements for string quartet by Shostakovich – which predate his famous string quartet repertoire – are adaptations of earlier works by the same composer. The Elegy is derived from Katerina’s aria in Act I, Scene 3 of the opera Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk, while the Polka first appeared in his ballet score for The Age of Gold. They were arranged by Shostakovich over the course of a single evening in 1931 as a gift to the Vuillaume Quartet.
Elegy, which must surely stand as one of the composer’s most beautiful utterances, originally accompanied a lament sung by the principal character of the opera as she contemplates a life of oppressive misery and life-denying boredom trapped inside a loveless marriage. The Age of Gold, on the other hand, tells the story of the adventures of a Soviet football team as it visits the West and contrasts the vigor of communist youth with the decadence of the West. The Polka’s grotesque character, a dark parody of works such as Josef Strauss’s Pizzicato Polka, reflects its original setting as an accompaniment to a scene satirizing the appearance of politicians from the League of Nations. Notes by Peter Tregear
More music by Dmitry Shostakovich
Prelude Op.34 no.5
Prelude n. 1 (from five preludes without opus number)
Trio No. 1 in c minor, Op. 8
Adagio from The Limpid Stream, Op. 39
Violin Concerto No. 1, Op. 99
Sonata for Cello and Piano in d minor, Op. 40
Prelude n. 3 (from five preludes without opus number)
Sonata for Cello and Piano in d minor, Op. 40
Piano Quintet in g minor, op. 57
String Quartet no. 1, op. 49
Performances by same musician(s)
Crisantemi
String Quartet in g minor, Op. 10
Elegy, for String Quartet
Classical Music for the Internet Era™
Courtesy of International Music Foundation.