Big hall. "The famous Leningrad woman" (history of the creation and performance of the "Leningrad" symphony by D. D. Shostakovich) Shostakovich symphony 7 Leningrad analysis

Wept furiously, sobbing
For one single passion for the sake of
Disabled at the station
And Shostakovich is in Leningrad.
Alexander Mezhirov

The Seventh Symphony by Dmitry Shostakovich has the subtitle "Leningradskaya". But the name "Legendary" suits her better. Indeed, the history of creation, the history of rehearsals and the history of the performance of this piece have become practically legends.

From concept to implementation

It is believed that the idea of ​​the Seventh Symphony came to Shostakovich immediately after the Nazi attack on the USSR. Here are some other opinions.
Conductor Vladimir Fedoseev: "... Shostakovich wrote about the war. But what does the war have to do with it! Shostakovich was a genius, he did not write about the war, he wrote about the horrors of the world, about what threatens us." The theme of the invasion was written long ago before the war and on a completely different occasion. But he found character, expressed a premonition. "
Composer Leonid Desyatnikov: "... with the" theme of the invasion "itself, not everything is completely clear either: considerations were expressed that it was composed long before the start of the Great Patriotic War, and that Shostakovich connected this music with the Stalinist state machine, etc." There is an assumption that the "theme of the invasion" is built on one of Stalin's favorite melodies - lezginka.
Some go even further, arguing that the Seventh Symphony was originally conceived by the composer as a symphony about Lenin, and only the war prevented its writing. The musical material was used by Shostakovich in the new work, although no real traces of the "composition about Lenin" were found in Shostakovich's manuscript heritage.
Indicate the texture similarity of the "invasion theme" with the famous "Bolero" Maurice Ravel, as well as a possible transformation of the melody of Franz Lehár from the operetta "The Merry Widow" (Count Danilo's aria Alsobitte, Njegus, ichbinhier ... Dageh` ichzuMaxim).
The composer himself wrote: "While composing the theme of the invasion, I thought about a completely different enemy of humanity. Of course, I hated fascism. But not only German - I hated all fascism."
Let's get back to the facts. Between July and September 1941, Shostakovich wrote four-fifths of his new work. The completion of the second movement of the symphony in the final score is dated September 17th. The ending time of the score for the third movement is also indicated in the final autograph: September 29.
The most problematic is the dating of the beginning of work on the final. It is known that in early October 1941 Shostakovich and his family were evacuated from besieged Leningrad to Moscow, and then moved to Kuibyshev. While in Moscow, he played the finished parts of the symphony in the editorial office of the newspaper "Soviet Art" on October 11 to a group of musicians. "Even a cursory listening to the symphony performed by the author's piano allows us to speak of it as a phenomenon of a huge scale," one of the participants in the meeting testified and noted ... that "The symphony's finale is not yet available."
In October-November 1941, the country experienced the most difficult moment of the struggle against the invaders. Under these conditions, the optimistic finale conceived by the author ("In the finale, I would like to say about a wonderful future life when the enemy is defeated") did not fit on paper. Artist Nikolai Sokolov, who lived in Kuibyshev next to Shostakovich, recalls: “Once I asked Mitya why he was not finishing his Seventh. .. But with what energy and joy he got down to work immediately after the news of the defeat of the Nazis near Moscow! Very quickly the symphony was completed by him almost in two weeks. " The Soviet counter-offensive near Moscow began on December 6, and the first significant successes were brought on December 9 and 16 (the liberation of the cities of Yelets and Kalinin). Comparison of these dates and the term of work indicated by Sokolov (two weeks) with the date of the end of the symphony, indicated in the final score (December 27, 1941), makes it possible with great confidence to attribute the beginning of work on the finale to mid-December.
Practically immediately after the end of the symphony, they began to practice it with the Bolshoi Theater Orchestra under the baton of Samuel Samosud. The symphony premiered on March 5, 1942.

"Secret weapon" of Leningrad

The siege of Leningrad is an unforgettable page in the history of the city, which arouses special respect for the courage of its inhabitants. The witnesses of the blockade, which led to the tragic death of almost a million Leningraders, are still alive. For 900 days and nights, the city withstood the siege of fascist troops. The Nazis pinned very high hopes on the capture of Leningrad. The capture of Moscow was supposed after the fall of Leningrad. The city itself was to be destroyed. The enemy surrounded Leningrad from all sides.

For a whole year he strangled him with an iron blockade, showered him with bombs and shells, and killed him with hunger and cold. And he began to prepare for the final assault. Tickets for the gala banquet in the best hotel in the city - on August 9, 1942, were already printed in the enemy printing house.

But the enemy did not know that a few months ago a new "secret weapon" had appeared in the besieged city. He was taken on a military plane with medicines that were so needed by the sick and wounded. These were four large voluminous notebooks covered with notes. They were eagerly awaited at the airport and taken away as the greatest treasure. It was Shostakovich's Seventh Symphony!
When the conductor Karl Ilyich Eliasberg, a tall and thin man, took the cherished notebooks in his hands and began to look through them, the joy on his face gave way to chagrin. It took 80 musicians to make this grandiose music really sound! Only then will the world hear it and make sure that the city in which such music is alive will never surrender, and that the people who create such music are invincible. But where can we find so many musicians? The conductor sadly sorted out in the memory of violinists, brass players, drummers, who perished in the snows of a long and hungry winter. And then the radio announced the registration of the surviving musicians. The conductor, reeling from weakness, went around hospitals in search of musicians. He found the drummer Zhaudat Aydarov in the dead room, where he noticed that the musician's fingers moved slightly. "He's alive!" - exclaimed the conductor, and this moment was the second birth of Zhaudat. Without him, the performance of the Seventh would have been impossible - after all, he had to beat out the drum roll in the "theme of the invasion."

Musicians came from the front. The trombonist came from the machine-gun company, the viola player escaped from the hospital. The French horn player sent an anti-aircraft regiment to the orchestra, the flutist was brought on a sled - his legs were taken away. The trumpeter stamped on his felt boots, despite the spring: his feet, swollen from hunger, did not fit into other shoes. The conductor himself looked like his own shadow.
But they got together for the first rehearsal. Some hands were hardened from weapons, others were shaking with exhaustion, but everyone tried their best to hold the tools, as if their lives depended on it. It was the shortest rehearsal in the world, lasting only fifteen minutes - they didn't have the strength for more. But they played these fifteen minutes! And the conductor, trying not to fall off the console, realized that they would perform this symphony. The horns' lips trembled, the bows of the string instruments were like cast iron, but the music sounded! Let it be weak, let it be out of tune, let it be out of tune, but the orchestra played. Despite the fact that during the rehearsals - two months - the musicians' food rations were increased, several artists did not live to see the concert.

And the day of the concert was appointed - August 9, 1942. But the enemy still stood under the walls of the city and gathered forces for the final assault. Enemy guns took aim, hundreds of enemy aircraft were waiting for the order to take off. And the German officers took another look at the invitation cards to the banquet, which was to take place after the fall of the besieged city, on August 9.

Why didn't they shoot?

The magnificent white-column hall was full and met the conductor's appearance with a standing ovation. The conductor raised his baton, and instantly there was silence. How long will it last? Or will the enemy now unleash a flurry of fire to prevent us? But the wand began to move - and previously unheard-of music burst into the hall. When the music ended and silence fell again, the conductor thought: "Why didn't they shoot today?" The last chord sounded, and silence fell for a few seconds in the hall. And suddenly all the people stood up in one impulse - tears of joy and pride rolled down their cheeks, and their palms glowed with thunderous applause. A girl ran out of the stalls onto the stage and presented the conductor with a bouquet of wildflowers. Decades later, Lyubov Shnitnikova, found by Leningrad schoolchildren-pathfinders, will tell that she specially grew flowers for this concert.

Why didn't the fascists shoot? No, they were shooting, or rather, they were trying to shoot. They aimed at the white-column hall, they wanted to shoot the music. But the 14th artillery regiment of Leningraders brought down an avalanche of fire on the fascist batteries an hour before the concert, providing seventy minutes of silence necessary for the performance of the symphony. Not a single enemy shell fell near the Philharmonic, nothing prevented the music from sounding over the city and over the world, and the world, hearing it, believed: this city will not surrender, this people is invincible!

Heroic Symphony of the XX century

Consider the music of Dmitry Shostakovich's Seventh Symphony itself. So,
The first movement is written in sonata form. A deviation from the classical sonata is that instead of development, there is a large episode in the form of variations ("invasion episode"), and after it an additional developmental fragment is introduced.
The beginning of the part embodies the images of a peaceful life. The main part sounds wide and courageous and has the features of a march song. This is followed by a lyrical side part. Against the background of the soft second "wiggle" of violas and cellos, a light, song-like melody of violins sounds, which alternates with transparent choral chords. The end of the exposure is beautiful. The sound of the orchestra seems to dissolve in space, the melody of the piccolo flute and the bewildered violin rises higher and higher and fades, melting against the background of a quietly sounding E-major chord.
A new section begins - a stunning picture of the invasion of an aggressive destructive force. In the silence, as if from afar, the barely audible beat of a drum is heard. An automatic rhythm is established, which does not stop throughout this terrible episode. The very "theme of the invasion" is mechanistic, symmetrical, divided into even segments of 2 bars. The theme sounds dry, prickly, with clicks. The first violins play staccato, the second hit the strings with the back of the bow, the violas play pizzicato.
The episode is built in the form of variations on a melodically unchanging theme. The topic is repeated 12 times, acquiring more and more voices, revealing all its sinister sides.
In the first variation, the flute sounds soullessly, dead in the low register.
In the second variation, a piccolo flute joins it at a distance of one and a half octaves.
In the third variation, a dull-sounding dialogue arises: each phrase of the oboe is copied by the bassoon one octave lower.
From the fourth to the seventh variation, the aggressiveness in music grows. Brass instruments appear. In the sixth variation, the theme is presented in parallel triads, insolently and smugly. The music takes on an increasingly cruel, "bestial" aspect.
In the eighth variation, it achieves the awesome sonority of fortissimo. Eight horns cut through the roar and clang of the orchestra "primal roar".
In the ninth variation, the theme moves to trumpets and trombones, accompanied by a moan.
In the tenth and eleventh variations, the tension in the music reaches an almost unthinkable force. But here a musical revolution, fantastic in its genius, takes place, which has no analogues in world symphonic practice. The tonality changes dramatically. An additional group of brass instruments is included. A few notes of the score stop the theme of invasion, the theme of resistance is opposed to it. An episode of the battle begins, incredible in its intensity and intensity. In the piercing heartbreaking dissonances, screams and groans are heard. With an inhuman effort Shostakovich leads the development to the main culmination of the first movement - a requiem - lamenting for the lost.

Konstantin Vasiliev. Invasion

The reprise begins. The main part is broadly recited by the whole orchestra in the marching rhythm of the funeral procession. The side part is hardly recognizable in the reprise. An intermittently tired bassoon monologue, accompanied by stumbling accompaniment chords at every step. Size changes all the time. This, according to Shostakovich, is "personal grief" for which "there are no more tears left."
In the code of the first part, pictures of the past appear three times, after the calling signal of the French horns. As if in a haze, the main and secondary themes pass in their original appearance. And at the very end, the theme of the invasion ominously reminds of itself.
The second movement is an unusual scherzo. Lyrical, slow. In it, everything adjusts to the memories of pre-war life. The music sounds as if in an undertone, in it one can hear the echoes of some kind of dance, now a touchingly tender song. Suddenly, an allusion to Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata breaks through, sounding somewhat grotesque. What is it? Are not the memories of a German soldier sitting in the trenches around besieged Leningrad?
The third part appears as an image of Leningrad. Her music sounds like a life-affirming hymn to a beautiful city. Majestic, solemn chords alternate in it with expressive "recitations" of solo violins. The third part goes into the fourth without interruption.
The fourth part - the mighty finale - is full of efficiency and activity. Shostakovich considered it, along with the first movement, to be the main one in the symphony. He said that this part corresponds to his "perception of the course of history, which must inevitably lead to the triumph of freedom and humanity."
The finale code uses 6 trombones, 6 trumpets, 8 horns: against the background of the mighty sound of the entire orchestra, they solemnly proclaim the main theme of the first movement. The conduct itself resembles a bell chime.

The Seventh "Leningrad" Symphony is one of the greatest scores of the 20th century. The history of its creation and first performances, the power and scale of the impact of this music on contemporaries are truly unique. For a wide audience, the very name of Shostakovich turned out to be forever welded with the "famous Leningrad woman" - that is how Anna Akhmatova called the symphony.

The composer spent the first months of the war in Leningrad. Here on July 19 he began working on the Seventh Symphony. “I have never composed as quickly as I do now,” admitted Shostakovich. Before the evacuation in October, the first three parts of the symphony were written (during the work on the second part, a blockade was closed around Leningrad). The finale was completed in December in Kuibyshev, where on March 5, 1942, the Bolshoi Theater Orchestra under the baton of Samuil Samosud performed the Seventh Symphony for the first time. Four months later, in Novosibirsk, it was performed by the Honored collective of the republic under the direction of Evgeny Mravinsky. The symphony began to be performed abroad - in June it premiered in the UK, in July - in the USA. But back in February 1942, the newspaper Izvestia published the words of Shostakovich: "My dream is that the Seventh Symphony will be performed in Leningrad in the near future, in my native city, which inspired me to create it." The blockade premiere of the symphony is akin to the events about which legends passed down from generation to generation in the old days.

The main "character" of the concert was the Bolshoi Symphony Orchestra of the Leningrad Radio Committee - this was the name of the current Academic Symphony Orchestra of the St. Petersburg Philharmonic Society during the war years. It was he who had the honor of being the first to play Shostakovich's Seventh Symphony in Leningrad. However, there was no alternative - after the start of the blockade, this group turned out to be the only symphony orchestra that remained in the city. For the performance of the symphony, an expanded composition was required - front-line musicians were seconded to the team. Only the score of the symphony was delivered to Leningrad - the parts were painted on the spot. Posters appeared in the city.

On August 9, 1942, the day previously announced by the German command as the date of entry into Leningrad, the Leningrad premiere of the Leningrad Symphony took place under the direction of Karl Eliasberg in the Great Philharmonic Hall. The concert took place, according to the conductor, “in a completely overcrowded hall” (security was ensured by Soviet artillery fire), and was broadcast on the radio. “Before the concert ... floodlights were installed upstairs to warm the stage, so that the air would be warmer. When we went to our consoles, the projectors went out. As soon as Karl Ilyich appeared, deafening applause rang out, the whole audience stood up to greet him ... And when we played, we were also applauded while standing ... From somewhere a girl suddenly appeared with a bunch of fresh flowers. It was so amazing! .. Behind the scenes, everyone rushed to hug each other, kiss. It was a great celebration. We did a miracle after all. This is how our life began to go on. We are resurrected, ”- recalled the participant of the premiere Ksenia Matus. In August 1942, the orchestra performed the symphony six times, four times in the Great Philharmonic Hall.

“This day lives on in my memory, and I will forever retain a feeling of deepest gratitude to you, admiration for your dedication to art, your artistic and civic feat,” Shostakovich wrote to the orchestra for the 30th anniversary of the blockade performance of the Seventh Symphony. In 1942, in a telegram to Karl Eliasberg, the composer was shorter, but no less eloquent: “Dear friend. Many thanks. Give my heartfelt gratitude to all the artists of the orchestra. I wish you health and happiness. Hi. Shostakovich ".

“An unprecedented thing has happened, which has no significance either in the history of wars or in the history of art — the“ duet ”of a symphony orchestra and an artillery symphony. Formidable counter-battery weapons covered an equally formidable weapon - Shostakovich's music. Not a single shell fell on the Arts Square, but on the other hand, an avalanche of sounds fell on the heads of the enemy from the radios and loudspeakers in a stunning all-conquering stream, proving that the spirit is primary. These were the first volleys across the Reichstag! "

E. Lind, founder of the Seventh Symphony Museum,

about the day of the blockade premiere

There are examples in the history of music that make you wonder who a musician or composer is after all: a person with certain psychological characteristics by nature - or a prophet?

In the late 1930s. decided to repeat the experiment carried out in the famous "" - to write variations on the ostinato melody. The melody was simple, even primitive, in the rhythm of the march, but with a certain tinge of "dancing". It seemed harmless, but the timbre-textured variations gradually turned the theme into a real monster ... Apparently, the author perceived it as a kind of composer's "experiment" - he did not publish, did not care about performance, did not show it to anyone except colleagues and students. So these variations would have remained a "prototype", but very little time passed - and not a musical, but a real monster showed itself to the world.

During the Great Patriotic War, Dmitry Dmitrievich lived the same life with his fellow citizens - under the slogan “Everything for the front! Everything for Victory! " Digging trenches, watch during an air raid - in all this he participated on an equal basis with other Leningraders. He also devotes his talent to the fight against fascism - the front-line concert brigades received a lot of his arrangements. At the same time he is considering a new symphony. In the summer of 1941, its first part was completed, and in the fall - after the beginning of the blockade - the second. And although he completed it already in Kuibyshev - in the evacuation - the name "Leningradskaya" stuck to Symphony No. 7, because its idea matured in besieged Leningrad.

The broad, "endlessly" unfolding melody of the main part opens the symphony, epic power is heard in its unison. The image of a happy, peaceful life is complemented by a canted side part - the rhythm of calm swaying in the accompaniment makes it a lullaby. This theme dissolves in the high register of the solo violin, giving way to an episode that is usually called "the theme of the fascist invasion." These are the same timbre-textured variations created before the war. Although at first the theme, alternately conducted by wooden horns against the background of drum rolls, does not seem particularly scary, its hostility to the themes of the exposition is obvious from the very beginning: the main and secondary parts are of a song nature - and this marching theme is absolutely devoid of such. The squareness, not characteristic of the main part, is emphasized here, the themes of the exposition are extended melodies - and this one breaks up into short motives. In its development, it reaches colossal power - it seems that nothing can stop this soulless war machine - but the tonality suddenly changes, and the brass wind instruments have a decisive descending theme ("the theme of resistance"), which enters into a fierce struggle with the theme of the invasion. And although there was no development with the participation of the themes of the exposition (it is replaced by the episode of the "invasion"), in the reprise they appear in a transformed form: the main part turns into a desperate appeal, the side part turns into a mournful monologue, only briefly returning to its original appearance, but at the end part, drumming and echoes of the invasion theme reappear.

The second movement - a scherzo at a moderate tempo - sounds unexpectedly soft after the horrors of the first movement: chamber orchestration, the grace of the first theme, length, songwriting of the second, conducted by a solo oboe. Only in the middle section do images of war remind of themselves with a terrible, grotesque theme in the rhythm of a waltz that turns into a march.

The third movement - the adagio with its pathetic, majestic and at the same time heartfelt themes - is perceived as a glorification of the native city to which the Leningrad Symphony is dedicated. The intonation of the requiem sounds in the choral introduction. The middle section is distinguished by its dramatic and intense feelings.

The third part goes into the fourth without interruption. Against the background of the tremolo timpani, intonations gather, from which the energetic, impetuous main part of the finale arises. The theme sounds like a tragic requiem in the rhythm of sarabanda, but the main part sets the tone for the finale - its development leads to a code where brass instruments solemnly proclaim the main part of the first movement.

Symphony No. 7 was first performed in March 1942 by the Bolshoi Theater Orchestra, then evacuated to Kuibyshev, and conducted. But the Leningrad premiere in August was a true example of heroism. The score was taken to the city on a military plane along with medicines, the registration of the surviving musicians was announced on the radio, the conductor was looking for performers in hospitals. Some of the musicians who were in the army were dispatched to military units. And so these people gathered for the rehearsal - exhausted, with their hands hardened from weapons, the flutist had to be brought in on a sleigh - his legs were taken away ... The first rehearsal lasted only a quarter of an hour - the performers could not bear it any longer. Not all orchestra members survived until the concert, which took place two months later - some died of exhaustion ... It seemed inconceivable to perform a complex symphonic work under such conditions - but the musicians with the conductor at the head did the impossible: the concert took place.

Even before the Leningrad premiere - in July - the symphony was performed in New York under the baton. The words of an American critic who attended this concert are widely known: "What the devil can defeat a people who can create music like this!"

Music Seasons

On September 25, 1906, Dmitry Dmitrievich Shostakovich was born, who was destined to become one of the most performed composers in the world. Later he will say: “Love and study the great art of music: it will open to you a whole world of high feelings, passions, thoughts. It will make you spiritually richer, cleaner, more perfect. Thanks to music, you will find in yourself new, previously unknown powers. You will see life in new colors and colors ”.

On the birthday of the great composer of the 20th century, we invite you to discover the world of passions through the art of his music. One of the most important works Dmitry Dmitrievich Shostakovich- “Seventh Symphony, Op. 60 "Leningradskaya" in C major ".

What music was!

What music was playing

When both soul and body

The damned war has trampled on.

What music is in everything

For everyone and for everyone - not by rank.

We will overcome ... We will withstand ... We will save ...

Oh, no time for fat - I would live ...

It has always been interpreted as a work depicting the horrors of war, fascism and the resilience of the Soviet people. However, Shostakovich began writing the symphony long before the start of the Great Patriotic War. The famous theme of the first movement of the symphony was written by Shostakovich before the start of World War II - in the late 1930s or 1940. Someone thinks that these were variations on a constant theme in the form of a passacaglia, similar in concept to Maurice Ravel's Bolero. There is an assumption that the "theme of the invasion" is built on one of Stalin's favorite melodies - lezginka, according to another - the Seventh Symphony was originally conceived by the composer as a symphony about Lenin, and only the war prevented its writing.

The composer himself wrote: “While composing the theme of the invasion, I thought about a completely different enemy of humanity. Of course, I hated fascism. But not only German - he hated all fascism. "

In September 1941, in the already besieged Leningrad (the blockade began on September 8), Shostakovich wrote the second part and began work on the third. He wrote the first three parts of the symphony in Benois's house on Kamennoostrovsky Prospekt. On October 1, the composer and his family were taken out of Leningrad; after a short stay in Moscow, he went to Kuibyshev, where the symphony was completed on December 27, 1941.

The premiere of the work took place on March 5, 1942 at the Kuibyshev Opera and Ballet Theater by the orchestra of the USSR State Academic Bolshoi Theater under the direction of the conductor Samuel Samosud.

The foreign premiere of the Seventh Symphony took place on July 19, 1942 in New York - it was performed by the New York Radio Symphony Orchestra conducted by Arturo Toscanini.

On August 9, 1942, the Seventh Symphony was performed in besieged Leningrad; orchestra of the Leningrad Radio Committee conducted Karl Eliasberg.

For 900 days and nights, the city withstood the siege of fascist troops. During the days of the siege, some of the musicians starved to death. In May, a plane delivered the score of the symphony to the besieged city. To replenish the number of the orchestra, the musicians had to be recalled from the military units. Execution was given exceptional importance; on the day of the first execution, all the artillery forces of Leningrad were sent to suppress enemy firing points. Despite the bombs and airstrikes, all the chandeliers in the Philharmonic were lit. During the performance, the symphony was broadcast on the radio, as well as on the loudspeakers of the city network. It was heard not only by the residents of the city, but also by the German troops besieging Leningrad. Much later, two tourists from the GDR, who had tracked down Eliasberg, confessed to him:

“Then, on August 9, 1942, we realized that we would lose the war. We have felt your strength capable of overcoming hunger, fear and even death "...

Shostakovich's new work had a strong aesthetic impact on many listeners, making them cry without hiding their tears. The unifying principle is reflected in the great music: faith in victory, sacrifice, boundless love for one's city and country.

The soldiers are dizzy

Three-row under the roll of logs

Was more needed for a dugout

Than Beethoven for Germany.

And across the country a string

Stretched trembling

When the damn war

And trampled souls and bodies.

We moaned furiously, sobbing,

One passion for the sake of

At the station - disabled

And Shostakovich is in Leningrad.

Alexander Mezhirov

Similar in concept to the "Bolero" by Maurice Ravel. A simple theme, harmless at first, evolving against the dry beat of a snare drum, eventually grew into a terrible symbol of suppression. In 1940 Shostakovich showed this composition to his colleagues and students, but did not publish it and did not perform it publicly. When the composer began writing a new symphony in the summer of 1941, the Passacaglia turned into a large episode of variations, replacing the development in its first movement, completed in August.

Premieres

The premiere of the work took place on March 5, 1942 in Kuibyshev, where the troupe of the Bolshoi Theater was at that time in evacuation. The Seventh Symphony was first performed at the Kuibyshev Opera and Ballet Theater by the USSR State Academic Bolshoi Orchestra conducted by Samuil Samosud.

The second performance took place on March 29 under the direction of S. Samosud - the symphony was first performed in Moscow.

A little later, the symphony was performed by the Leningrad Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Evgeny Mravinsky, who was at that time in evacuation in Novosibirsk.

The foreign premiere of the Seventh Symphony took place on June 22, 1942 in London - it was performed by the London Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Henry Wood. On July 19, 1942, the American premiere of the symphony took place in New York, performed by the New York Radio Symphony Orchestra conducted by Arturo Toscanini.

Structure

1. Allegretto
2. Moderato - Poco allegretto
3. Adagio
4. Allegro non troppo

Orchestra composition

Symphony performance in besieged Leningrad

Orchestra

Performed the symphony of the Bolshoi Symphony Orchestra of the Leningrad Radio Committee. During the days of the siege, some of the musicians starved to death. Rehearsals were canceled in December. When they resumed in March, only 15 weakened musicians could play. To replenish the number of the orchestra, the musicians had to be recalled from the military units.

Execution

Execution was given exceptional importance; on the day of the first execution, all the artillery forces of Leningrad were sent to suppress enemy firing points. Despite the bombs and airstrikes, all the chandeliers in the Philharmonic were lit.

Shostakovich's new work had a strong aesthetic impact on many listeners, making them cry without hiding their tears. The unifying principle is reflected in the great music: faith in victory, sacrifice, boundless love for one's city and country.

During the performance, the symphony was broadcast on the radio, as well as on the loudspeakers of the city network. It was heard not only by the residents of the city, but also by the German troops besieging Leningrad. Much later, two tourists from the GDR, who had tracked down Eliasberg, confessed to him:

Galina Lelyukhina, flutist:

The film "Leningrad Symphony" is dedicated to the history of the performance of the symphony.

Soldier Nikolai Savkov, artilleryman of the 42nd Army, wrote a poem during the secret operation "Shkval" on August 9, 1942, dedicated to the premiere of the 7th symphony and the most secret operation.

Memory

Famous performances and recordings

Live performances

• Among the prominent interpreter conductors who have recorded the Seventh Symphony are Rudolf Barshai, Leonard Bernstein, Valery Gergiev, Kirill Kondrashin, Evgeny Mravinsky, Leopold Stokowsky, Gennady Rozhdestvensky, Evgeny Svetlanov, Yuri Temirkanov, Arturo Toscanini, Marie Eliens Heytinck , Neeme Järvi.
• Beginning with the performance in besieged Leningrad, the symphony had tremendous agitation and political significance for the Soviet and Russian authorities. On August 21, 2008, a fragment of the first movement of the symphony was performed in the South Ossetian city of Tskhinvali, destroyed by Georgian troops, by the Mariinsky Theater Orchestra conducted by Valery Gergiev. The live broadcast was shown on the Russian channels "Russia", "Kultura" and "Vesti", an English-language channel, and was also broadcast on the radio stations "Vesti FM" and "Kultura". On the steps of the parliament building destroyed by shelling, the symphony was intended to emphasize the parallel between the Georgian-South Ossetian conflict and the Great Patriotic War.
• To the music of the first movement of the symphony, the ballet "Leningrad Symphony" was staged, which became widely known.
• On February 28, 2015, the symphony was performed at the Donetsk Philharmonic on the eve of the 70th anniversary of the victory in the Great Patriotic War as part of the charitable program "Siege of Leningrad for the Children of Donbass".

Soundtrack

• The motives of the symphony can be heard in the game "Entente" in the theme of the campaign or multiplayer game for the German Empire.
• In the animated series "The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya", in the "Day of the Sagittarius" series, fragments of the Leningrad Symphony are used. Subsequently, at the "Suzumiya Haruhi no Gensou" concert, the Tokyo State Orchestra performed the first movement of the symphony.

Notes (edit)

1. Kenigsberg A.K., Mikheeva L.V. Symphony No. 7 (Dmitry Shostakovich)// 111 symphonies. - SPb: "Cult-inform-press", 2000.
2. Shostakovich D. D. / Comp. L. B. Rimsky. // Heinze - Yashugin. Supplements A - Ya. - M.: Soviet encyclopedia: Soviet composer, 1982. - (Encyclopedias. Dictionaries. Reference books: