Dmitri Shostakovich

Shostakovich Symphony No. 8 in C minor

A war symphony that chose mourning over a victory cry

Key: C minor
Composed: 1943
Premiere: 1943 Moscow
Duration: About 60 min
Movements: 5 movements
Instrumentation: Woodwinds 4·2·3·3 (+ English horn, bass clarinet; 3rd and 4th flutes double piccolo, one clarinet is E♭, 3rd bassoon doubles contrabassoon) · Brass 4·3·3·1 · Timpani · Percussion (bass drum, cymbals, snare drum, tambourine, tam-tam, triangle, xylophone) · Strings

The story behind this piece

He wrote it in the summer of 1943. It premiered that November under Mravinsky, and he dedicated it to him as well. Some call it the "Stalingrad Symphony," but there is no evidence that Shostakovich accepted that nickname.

Critics who had expected a victory song like No. 7 complained that it was "too dark." In 1948, when the authorities attacked "formalism," it became a prime target and vanished from the stage for a long time.

What to listen for

Third movement: A toccata that rushes on relentlessly in the same rhythm. It is also called a "dance of death."
Fourth to fifth movement: A passacaglia (lament) built on a repeating bass line continues without a break and ends in a quiet C major finale. It feels less like victory than like "we survived."

Listen · Score

Hear the full piece on YouTube · hr-Sinfonieorchester · Alain Altinoglu

Credits