Dmitry Shostakovich
Suite for Variety Orchestra, No. 1
A suite of cheerful dances doesn’t seem like something a composer being hounded by his government for his “petty bourgeois sensationalism” would write. But it was in 1938, after several virulent attacks by Josef Stalin, that Dmitry Shostakovich’s Suite for Variety Orchestra was published. Two years previously, Stalin had forced the newspaper Pravda to denounce the composer’s music as the worst kind of bourgeois excess, having taken a dislike to Shostakovich’s satiric opera, Lady Macbeth of the Mtensk District (1934). Although that opera had originally met with popular success, playing in both Leningrad and Moscow at the same time, after the Pravda article, “Muddle Instead of Music,” was published, the opera was withdrawn from production and wasn’t performed again in Russia until the 1960s. Shostakovich is said to have taken to sleeping fully dressed in case the authorities arrested him during the night. According to music historian David Doughty, “He became badly depressed, took to drinking, and seriously considered suicide.”
So how could Shostakovich write something so ‘frivolous’ at this time? The short answer is, he didn’t–these pieces were based on musical sketches or portions of his own film scores that he had written up to ten years previously. In fact, Shostakovich created three compilations for orchestra during the late 1930s, this work and the Jazz Suites No. 1 and No. 2. The score to the latter was lost just after its inaugural performance during World War II and was not rediscovered until very recently, resulting in a frequent misidentification of the Suite for Variety Orchestra as the Jazz Suite No. 2. It’s also not clear why the Variety Orchestra work was labeled “No. 1” by the composer, since there is no companion number 2.
Despite its rocky history, the suite itself is lively, varied, and engaging. It consists of eight pieces, any number of which can be played in any order, according to the composer’s notes. For today’s performance Maestro Kujawsky has chosen five of the eight, beginning with the March. This energetic opener reminds one of circus music, and features brilliant work by the brass and percussion sections. The Dance No. 2 is in A-B-A form, with a rolling central trio with harp and bird-like trills on the flute. An accordion makes an appearance in the outer sections. Dance No. 1 is bolder, brasher, and considerably faster. The thumping percussion and rattling tambourine give it a folk-dance feel. Listen for brief piano solos reminiscent of the composer’s piano concertos. The Waltz No. 2 reminds one of the works of Kurt Weill, with its ironically cheerful minor theme. This made it a good match for Stanley Kubrick’s 1999 film, “Eyes Wide Shut,” where the waltz was used under the main titles. The piece opens with a melancholy saxophone solo, and also features solo work by the clarinet. The Finale announces itself in no uncertain terms, with a drum roll and orchestral glissando leading into another brisk march. This is likely the only work you’ll hear in the orchestral hall featuring a duet by xylophone and accordion!