Favorite Moments in a Shostakovich Symphony

[notserp89m]

His 10th, right at the start of the 2nd movement. It's "savagely brooding" if that makes any sense what so ever.

[karlhenning]

Oh, do I ever love the recap in the first movement of the Tenth!

[Dana]

      All of my favorites have been mentioned... the horns in the 1st mvt of 5, the monumental crescendo of the 2nd... The DSCH proclamation in the 0th... Except for one. In the 3rd movement of the 5th symphony, there is a place at the end of the first subjects field, where the harp accompanies a flute duet - this along with the immediately following emotional blackness is my favorite.

[not edward]

The monstrous, swirling fugue in the first movement of the Fourth.
In the 14th symphony, the stroke of genius of following the furious epilogue to Zaporozhye Cossacks' Reply To the Sultan Of Constantinople with O Delvig, Delvig--the heart of the work.

[Danny]

The Long March theme from Symphony No 7, as it builds and builds to the climax.  I suppose the entire movement is a favorite.

Also love the starting theme to the second movement of Symphony No 8 and how the ochestra just seems to pounce here, along with the more harrowing one which commences on woodwind and is later picked up by rest of the orchestra in the third movment to symphony no 10 (the begining of the DSCH, from memory). 

[Symphonien]

The Long March theme from Symphony No 7, as it builds and builds to the climax.  I suppose the entire movement is a favorite.

For some reason, when I heard that it reminded me exactly of Bolero.

[Dana]

The Long March theme from Symphony No 7, as it builds and builds to the climax.  I suppose the entire movement is a favorite.

      It depends on who does it - it falls flat very easily in the wrong hands. They say to save your crescendos until the end - never was a truer word spake for this movement!

[Sef]

The last few minutes of the final movement of the fourth - from the huge ear shattering brass to the final heart beat like bass throbbing, and the piece dying away into darkness - brings a lump to my throat everytime. Best listened to loud in a dark room I find. Either that, or in the concert hall. CSO in May - can't wait.

[Dana]

Best listened to loud in a dark room I find.

      I felt the same way about the 13th quartet but I decided I didn't like getting so depressed. The 13th quartet has been on a temporary leave of absence in my life for a while now.

[Ephemerid]

      I felt the same way about the 13th quartet but I decided I didn't like getting so depressed. The 13th quartet has been on a temporary leave of absence in my life for a while now.

I can understand that!  Its that & the 8th are my two favourite 4tets of his, but whereas the heart of the 8th is sorrowful, the 13th is just so damn bleak! 

[Danny]

      It depends on who does it - it falls flat very easily in the wrong hands. They say to save your crescendos until the end - never was a truer word spake for this movement!

Agreed, Dana. But in the wrong hands most of the moments mentioned here would also fall flat, I think.   

Or perhaps that would all depend on which interpretation you prefer?   

[vandermolen]

Massive climax to end of last movement of Symphony 4

Return of percussion pattern from Symphony 4 at very end of Symphony 15 (very moving)

End of Symphony 11 and opening of work

Slow movement of Symphony 8

Passacaglia in Violin Concerto No 1(sorry, not a symphony!)

[Dana]

      Does anyone else enjoy the final C-major resolution of the 8th symphony as much as I do? After so much death and destruction, it was all worth it at last for some piece of mind.

[vandermolen]

Oh, do I ever love the recap in the first movement of the Tenth!

Me too

[vandermolen]

      Does anyone else enjoy the final C-major resolution of the 8th symphony as much as I do? After so much death and destruction, it was all worth it at last for some piece of mind.

yes

[Jupiter]

Symphony 8. At the very end of the symphony. Love that elongated squealing note which seems to howl like a distant jet engine over a seres of strangled mournful notes. (Excuse my lack of terminology. I can't read music, don't know much about it. But I know what I like)

I especially like this one:

[Dana]

      You know, even though the second movement from the 10th symphony is undoubtedly a bigger adrenaline rush, I actually find the third movement from the 8th to be more terrifying.

[paulb]

Passacaglia in Violin Concerto No 1(sorry, not a symphony!)

No apologies necessary
The passacaglia is the finest section anywhere is all of Shostakovich. One the finest in all CM.

[karlhenning]

The passacaglia which is the fourth movement of the Eighth Symphony.

And the passacaglia which is part of the finale of the Fifteenth Symphony.

[Michel]

All the harrowing parts of the 8th sym fist mov