SHOSTAKOVICH Sonata in D minor, Op. 40 - 4 Timotheos Petrin, cello Wei Luo, piano Performed on Saturday, April 26, 2014 Field Concert Hall, Curtis Institute of Music, Philadelphia The early Sonata for Cello and Piano in D minor, Op. 40 from 1934 foreshadows the struggles with the Soviet regime that plagued Dmitri Shostakovich for much of his career. The sonata preceded his first formal censure in 1936, but already displays his distinctive style mixing veiled satire and the grotesque with deep, often repressed, emotion. From the opening movement Shostakovich navigates between contrasting imagery and musical styles, as if to represent the freedom of the inner romantic that is forced to live within a more rigid outer shell. This conflict is present throughout the entire work, expressed through mechanical outbursts, inconsolable lament, and devious humor. Shostakovich’s chamber music often showed a more personal, emotional side of the composer in comparison to his large-scale works, which were more vulnerable to criticism by the Soviet censors. The composer himself performed the piano part of this sonata on numerous occasions with cellists who were close friends.
Posted on: Mon, 05 Jan 2015 19:52:54 +0000
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