Shostakovich- Symphony No. 5 in D Minor, op. 47 Part II
We continue our discussion of Shostakovich’s Fifth Symphony with the second movement Scherzo.
- Moderato
- Allegretto
- Largo
- Allegro non troppo
II. Allegretto
Scherzo (ternary) form
Shostakovich’s scherzo is like an anti-waltz. It’s not elegant, particularly pretty, and is purposely unbalanced.
It begins with a clumsy and awkward descent in the low strings that sounds like a bull in a china shop. The staccato rising and falling line is interrupted by blaring brass figures, in turn followed by shrill winds (0:14). A wind choir led by a somewhat whiney clarinet plus a bubbly melody, despite continued heavy strokes from the low strings in the background (0:27). The rest of the strings join in after the wind solo with a renewed sense of urgency (0:35) as the strings rise and fall before the violins leap skyward before descending again into a hemiola passage at 0:44. A light-hearted descent composed of a series of grace-note figures in the winds held steady by the low strings playing on the downbeat reverses and plays a series of upward-sequencing trills.
The brass and snare drum then enter with a brief statement of authority, accompanied by two-note descents in the tuba. At 1:11 the strings echo the winds’ playful descent and ascent into another brass passage, this time underscored by tuba and timpani (1:24). A brief cadence concludes the first section of the scherzo with a muted trumpet.
The trio theme is introduced by a solo violin who plays a melody based on three notes on one pitch followed by a leap. The harp plays warmly underneath. The flute repeats the trio theme at 2:02, accompanied by comical 3-note ascents played in the background by the bassoon. The orchestra then jumps in and the oboe and clarinet play the first few measures of the trio theme (2:37) before the phrase is finished by the orchestra. Rapid wind ascents are followed by aimlessly ascending and descending strings before the oboe and clarinet return with the phrase again finished by the orchestra (3:05).
Theme one returns in the contrabassoon at 3:10 and is soon joined with quiet pizzicato strings and flute flourishes. Soon all of the strings are playing pizzicato with just the contrabassoon playing a few notes of accompaniment underneath (3:37). After the hemiola passage the xylophone and winds reenter (4:00) with their descent, after which another brass passage follows. A string imitation of the wind/xylophone descending figure is followed by another brass passage. The cadence at 4:43 is highlighted by a rapidly descrescendoing timpani.
The trio theme is played timidly by the oboe before the orchestra ends the movement on a series of three-note ascents and a cadential chord.
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If you are interested in listening to a recording, I recommend Valery Gergiev’s 2004 release with the Kirov Orchestra on Philips. You can buy this recording from Amazon by clicking on the image below. Alternatively, you can purchase this recording from the iTunes Music Store often at a reduced price by following the link below.
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