Dmitri Shostakovich

Shostakovich Symphony No. 12 in D minor "The Year 1917"

The long-promised Lenin symphony, "The Year 1917"

Key: D minor
Composed: 1961
Premiere: 1961 Leningrad
Duration: About 40 min
Movements: 4 movements
Instrumentation: Woodwinds 3·3·3·3 (3rd flute doubles piccolo, 3rd bassoon doubles contrabassoon) · Brass 4·3·3·1 · Timpani · Percussion (triangle, snare drum, bass drum, cymbals, tam-tam) · Strings

The story behind this piece

Written at last as the "Lenin Symphony" he had promised since around No. 6, it honors Lenin and portrays the 1917 revolution. Its four movements (Revolutionary Petrograd, Razliv, Aurora, The Dawn of Humanity) follow without a pause. It premiered in October 1961 under Mravinsky, but because of its blatant political tone, the reaction in the West was cold and it is still not performed often.

What to listen for

The four movements run without a break. Follow the scenes of the revolution using the movement titles.

Listen · Score

Hear the full piece on YouTube · Berliner Philharmoniker · Gustavo Dudamel

Credits