Nowadays, during the week of Shostakovich’s anniversary of 100th birthday, it has been a lot of Shostakovich’s music played here in there. With all my “issues” with Mahlerism-Shostakovich I still listen their music, what whatever reasons…. Today there were two interesting events.  There was on radio a fragment of Shostakovich’s Op. 35: Allegro Moderato from Concerto for Piano, Trumpet and String Orchestra. It was played by Yefim Bronfmann and Los Angeles Philharmonic and it was very interesting. I do not think I heard it before. Shostakovich is strange fruit: he have writhe so much the it constantly pop ups from him something new and “fresh”…. Of coues it all has that Shostakovizm but …hey how without it?

Then there was Shostakovich’s Symphony No. 10 by Los Angeles Philharmonic under Esa-Pekka Salonen. It was NPR own recording, not available commercially and it was very good, particularly the complex first and last movements.

Actually the most interesting thing about during the recent Shostakovich‘s holydays was an interview with no more then the Baltimoreian Marin Alsop, thier new music director. So, she was asked why Shostakovich’s quartets were more interesting then his orchestral music. (Which is I completely agree: his quartets have very little of the Shostakovichevizm). She replied that it was Shostakovich’s way to compose “honest” music without Communist Party were able to acknowledge his honesty, as according to Marin Alsop no one cared about the string quartets anyway. Hooley cow! I was quite laughing! The poor Yankee-conductor read too many American fantasies about Russian life. Shostakovich if I’m not mistaken received medals and awards from the Party... exactly for his quartets. I believe 8th and 11th and something else… Anyhow, to hear her position was very funny…

The Cat