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Dmitri Shostakovich

Shostakovich Symphony No. 10 in E minor

His own name in notes: D-S-C-H

Key
E minor
Composed
1953
Premiere
1953 Leningrad
Duration
about 50 min
Movements
4 movements
Instrumentation
Woodwinds 2·3·3·3 (+ piccolo; 2nd flute doubles piccolo, 3rd oboe doubles English horn, 3rd clarinet doubles E♭ clarinet, 3rd bassoon doubles contrabassoon) · Brass 4·3·3·1 · Timpani · Percussion (bass drum, cymbals, snare drum, triangle, tam-tam, xylophone) · Strings

The story behind this piece

After the 1948 criticism, Shostakovich did not write symphonies for a while. The piece he presented after Stalin died in March 1953 was No. 10, which premiered that December under Mravinsky. However, some testimony says part of the sketches had been written much earlier, so the exact time of composition is unclear.

A musical code is hidden in this piece. D–E♭–C–B (D-S-C-H), the initials of his own name in German note names, appears throughout. The five notes E–A–E–D–A that the horn repeats in the third movement turn the name of his student, the composer Elmira Nazirova, into notes.

The memoir Testimony says the second movement is a "portrait of Stalin." But many scholars doubt this, saying there is no evidence he had such an intention when composing, so it is hard to treat as established fact.

What to listen for

  • Second movement: A short, ferocious scherzo that rushes by. It's an endurance test for the strings!
  • Third movement: The "Elmira" call (E–A–E–D–A) that the horn repeats alone and the D-S-C-H figure intertwine.

Listen · Score

Credits