BaL 30.03.19 - Shostakovich: Piano Quintet in G minor Op. 57

[Bryn]

Richter/Borodin - deleted ! What an outrage !!!

The search-resistant QOBUZ has it (on 'CD' 2 of https://www.qobuz.com/gb-en/album/sh.../0888002823281 )

A not unreasonable price either. No booklet pdf, however.

[LeMartinPecheur]

regarding the blather in the prom blurb that Alpie reproduces:

I am not in a position to check this at the moment, but I thought Shosty had written the Quintet in the 1930s, that he originally conceived it as a String Quartet but then changed it to a Piano Quintet to add a part for himself when he found out that the performing ensemble (The Beethoven Quartet?) was going to be allowed to travel outside the USSR boundaries to perform the new work, and that he was on tour in Turkey or someplace when the infamous Stalin attack on him and his Opera Lady MacBeth of the Mtinsk District in Pravda, Muddle Instead of Music , was published. I thought that he hurried back to the USR expecting to be sent to the Gulag. If this is true then the blurb about "hoping to rehabilitate himself" with the Quintet would be nonsense. Am I mistaken?

rfg: your bit about DSCH writing the work in place of a second 4tet in order to tour with the Beethoven 4tet has some basis. It's what he told Glikman, but Glikman says that even after challenging him on this because he simply couldn't believe Shoster really wanted to go touring (NB round the USSR), he couldn't tell if he was joking! (Shoster seems always to have enjoyed travelling. Also, we shouldn't forget that he had a very strong line in deadpan humour.)


As noted by others here, the work was written in 1940 and Glikman says the above conversation took place in 'the year before the war' so presumably 1940 again, well after the 1936 Stalin attack. But he'd still have been well under its shadow, even if the 5th symphony of 1938 had given his rehabilitation a big push .

[Pulcinella]

Richter/Borodin - deleted ! What an outrage !!!

See PS to message #11.

[Bryn]

See PS to message #11.

"Used" only, however, and getting on for the cost of the complete quartets + Piano Quintet, etc. from QOBUZ. I would expect Melodiya to re-issue the boxed set in a rather more robust box than the flimsy thin card construction mine came in.

[Barbirollians]

"Used" only, however, and getting on for the cost of the complete quartets + Piano Quintet, etc. from QOBUZ. I would expect Melodiya to re-issue the boxed set in a rather more robust box then the flimsy thin card construction mine came in.

I have the EMI issue which I see can be had second hand on Amazon for about £18

[Pulcinella]

"Used" only, however, and getting on for the cost of the complete quartets + Piano Quintet, etc. from QOBUZ. I would expect Melodiya to re-issue the boxed set in a rather more robust box then the flimsy thin card construction mine came in.

Ah: true.
Hadn't spotted that.

[Pulcinella]

I have the EMI issue which I see can be had second hand on Amazon for about £18

Mine is EMI too, c/w SQ 7 and SQ 8, but just the CD, as it was found 'going spare' in stocktake in a shop in Bristol my partner and I used to help out in.
The CD case/liner notes had gone missing, but we salvaged the CD rather than have it ditched.

[Bryn]

Mine is EMI too, c/w SQ 7 and SQ 8, but just the CD, as it was found 'going spare' in stocktake in a shop in Bristol my partner and I used to help out in.
The CD case/liner notes had gone missing, but we salvaged the CD rather than have it ditched.

The lack of the booklet pdf on QOBUZ is a great pity. The Melodiya boxed set I have came with a 32-page booklet, in Engish (not a Cyrillic character to be found, except for the Μелодия logo.).

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

regarding the blather in the prom blurb that Alpie reproduces:

Just occasionally, the "blather" is too much for me, especially when assumptions are made, or it's inaccurate, or it's just plain crass. At that point, I do sometimes edit it.

[richardfinegold]

rfg: your bit about DSCH writing the work in place of a second 4tet in order to tour with the Beethoven 4tet has some basis. It's what he told Glikman, but Glikman says that even after challenging him on this because he simply couldn't believe Shoster really wanted to go touring (NB round the USSR), he couldn't tell if he was joking! (Shoster seems always to have enjoyed travelling. Also, we shouldn't forget that he had a very strong line in deadpan humour.)


As noted by others here, the work was written in 1940 and Glikman says the above conversation took place in 'the year before the war' so presumably 1940 again, well after the 1936 Stalin attack. But he'd still have been well under its shadow, even if the 5th symphony of 1938 had given his rehabilitation a big push .

Good to know. I could have sworn I also read the bit about his being abroad when the Stalin denounciation hit, but that may have been him misremembering something as well as me...

[richardfinegold]

Just occasionally, the "blather" is too much for me, especially when assumptions are made, or it's inaccurate, or it's just plain crass. At that point, I do sometimes edit it.

no one is blaming you for the content, Alpie

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

no one is blaming you for the content, Alpie

I know.

It was just a general observation.

[Edgy 2]

I have heard this performed live on several occasions, including by David Fanning with both the Lindsays and the Quatuor Danel. However, I do not have a recording of the piece so will listen with interest. For me at least, couplings will matter as I would prefer another Soviet era quintet rather than one Shostakovich quartet (I already have Danels, Shostakovich Quartet and most of the Fitzwilliam cycle). At one time couplings were mentioned when a disc was recommended but this has not been the case for some years.

Well the Matthias Kirschnereit, Szymanowski Qt is coupled with a super performance of the Weinberg Piano Quintet,nuff said

[LeMartinPecheur]

Good to know. I could have sworn I also read the bit about his being abroad when the Stalin denounciation hit, but that may have been him misremembering something as well as me...

Not quite abroad, he was in Arkhangelsk on tour as pianist.

[gurnemanz]

Love this work. Number one (alphabetically) on Alpies's list and number one on mine is the Hollywood Qtt with Victor Aller on piano + Felix Slatkin (father of) on violin, who died at the tragically early age of 47 when his son was only 19. A favourite CD full stop coupled with the Franck - on Testament. I'm very much inclined to believe the story mentioned above that Shosty only included a piano part in what was going to be a quartet so that he could also "get a chance to see the world". Even though Glikstein does add: "From the expression on his face it was impossible to tell if he was joking or not". (quoted in Elizabeth Wilson's book). Fantastic experience to hear this work live at Wigmore a few years ago. Alas I can't remember the personnel but they were great.