Richibi’s Weblog

   “The 1st May Demonstration on The Red Square, 1929“ (1930) 

            Konstantin Yuon

__________

let me correct something I wrote in my 
last comment, inadvertently, misleading
you somewhat with my inappropriate 
use of the word “movement”, that the
Symphony no 2 had only one, I stated, 
by which I meant that there were no 
pauses throughout, there are, however, 
indeed four movements in the Second, 
four distinct sections that have been 
joined together, such an uninterrupted 
piece would usually have been given 
an appropriate title, or an opus number, 
to identify it, but would not have been 
called a symphony, a symphony is by  
very definition a clearly segmented 
composition, like chapters in a book, 
they might follow a theme, though not
necessarily, see Mozart, but the breaks
are integral, where you get a chance to
cough, or to get up and replenish your 
glass of wine 

the Second could have been, should 
have been, called simply, “October“, 
and, ergo, left at that 

but it wasn’t

the very same must be said about the
Third Symphony, “The First of May”,
you can already probably hear the 
jubilation and fanfare in just the title,
another milestone of the Revolution, 
the anniversary of Lenin’s death, the 
final chorus sings a lyric of a poet of
the Revolution, Semyon Kirsanov, a
sure nod to the symphony‘s political, 
however peripheral, intent 

what you’ll note, however, is the 
sensuality of the music, above
whatever weight of a, perhaps 
more fitting, dirge, or the bombast 
even of a commemorative, an exalting 
tribute – though these are determinedly 
there – going back to the orchestral 
triumphs of the Romantic Era, with 
its lush rallentandos and its voluptuous
ritardandos, the better to seduce
 
Shostakovich is getting ready for the 
real thing, a piece with any partisan 
message, he must sense, can never 
work

by the way, should you disagree 
with any of my evaluations, this 
would not at all be offensive, but
even wonderful, I have been 
wrong, I can prove it, I have the 
dates, they are listed somewhere 
in my papers, but it would mean 
you’re paying attention, listening, 
which is the entire purpose, more
than anything else, of this 
exploratory exercise, should you
wish to participate 

R ! chard