Petersburg official whose nose leaves his face and develops a life of its own. Shostakovich was only 20 when he began writing the nose, his operatic debut. Based on a short story by nikolai gogol, its absurdist plot revolves around the exploits of a pompous government official and his nose. His father dmitri boleslavovich shostakovich was a chemical engineer at the bureau of weights and measures, while his mother sofia vasilievna kokoulina was a pianist who studied piano under alexandra rozanova at the st. The nose is able to achieve a higher rank in the government than major kovalev. Dmitri shostakovich s opera the nose written in 1928, commissioned in 2005 by the metropolitan opera. After the phenomenal success of his first symphony, shostakovich was hailed as the. Malko was responsible for most of the prewar shostakovich performances in britain, championing the first and third symphonies and the suite from the nose alongside works by mosolov, nikolai miaskovsky, and prokofiev.
Each of these exciting pieces sets up the orchestra to rock with elements of beat, rhythm, and groove. If youre looking for a nice pdf version of gogols the nose, you can find one here. This opera received harsh criticisms for its lack of soviet musical idioms and artistic ideology. In this opera, unlike the other 3, tonality is almost nonexistent. Download for free in pdf midi format, or print directly from our site. The plot concerns a saint petersburg official whose nose leaves his face and develops a life of its own gogols original work was expanded by borrowing from some of his other. With the nose, shostakovich produced a score which was both a striking composition in its novelty and creative richness a contemporaneous expression of his reflections on current art and a map holding the key to his future work in symphony and opera two were to follow, including the unfinished the gamblers. Shostakovich began his fourth symphony on september. Shostakovich also confirmed his talent as a cinema composer in a number of film scores, and rescored musorgskys boris godunov 193940. But with his opera, the nose, shostakovich was accused for the first time of favoring western modernism, and the opera was immediately taken out of circulation. British conductors took an interest in the first symphony, though not in the second or third.
Still in his twenties, shostakovich composed two operas. Set in st petersburg, dmitri shostakovichs satirical opera the nose received its premier in 1930. The nose shostakovich william kentridge stormed the met with his inventive production of shostakovich s opera, which dazzled opera and art lovers alike in its inaugural run in 2010. After graduating from the conservatory, shostakovich composed two more symphonies. When shostakovich adapted gogols the nose into an opera. Based on a short story by nikolai gogol, its absurd plot revolves around the exploits of a pompous government official and his nose. But with his opera, the nose, shostakovich was accused for the first time of favoring western modernism. This edition is based on the 1981 collected works edition. We will attempt to find out what, if any, in fluences of the literary and other artistic trends of the time had been exerted on the operas conception and realization. I confess that i gave hope to the leader and teachers dreams. It was to be a commemoration of lenin and the 1917 revolution, but as shostakovich knew lenin to be just as personally. The nose by dmitri shostakovich, metropolitan opera, new york, march 5, 2010. Eduard akimov platon kuzmich kovalyov, alexander lomonosov the nose, valery belykh ivan yakovlevich, a barber, nina sasulova praskovia osipovna, the barbers wife, boris tarkhov local policeman, boris druzhinin ivan, kovalyovs footman, ashot sarkisov doctor soloists, chorus and.
At this time a lot of exciting new movies were being made in the soviet union. In june 1929, shostakovich s satirical opera, the nose, premiered despite shostakovich s wishes. Dmitri dmitriyevich shostakovich was born on september 25, 1906 o. To celebrate the 22nd communist party congress, shostakovich was commis sioned to write another symphony. But brilliant eccentricity was soon to fall into disfavour. Written for an unusual chambersize orchestra including six percussionists, two harps, piano, balalaika. The moscow chamber opera theatre made operatic history in 1974 with their definitive production of the nose by dmitri shostakovich 19061975. Shostakovich s other compositions of this period were in the same vein, to greater or lesser degrees. Nos, is dmitri shostakovich s first opera, a satirical work completed in 1928 based on nikolai gogols 1836 story of the same name contents 1 style and structure. After a visit to the barber, the nose absconds from the mans face and takes on a life of its own. Shostakovich recognized as a genius and one of the greatest composers of the 20. The giant tapdancing noses scene from shostakovichs the. Nikolaj gogols short story the nose, provides a case study which both of these. Appearances and power in gogols the nose, its loss symbolizes the loss of power.
Shostakovich s first two operas, the nose 1930 and lady macbeth of mtsensk 1934, based on presoviet literature, received popular and critical acclaim, although they were condemned by publications from the communist party. Blackwell publishing on behalf of the editors and board of. Libretto by yevgeni zamyatin, georgi ionin, aleksandr preis, and the composer, based on the short story the nose by nikolai gogol. The nose valery belykh, ivan yakovlevich, a barber nina sasulova. Shostakovich s first two operas, the nose 1930 and lady macbeth of mtsensk 1934, based on presoviet literature, received popular and critical acclaim, although they were condemned by.
Shostakovich, though, takes these elements of the grotesque and surreal and political and ratchets them up to a wild level of intensity. Shostakovich stated it was a satire on the times of alexander i. Shostakovich remained in the soviet union and achieved many of his early successes, including his symphony no. Shostakovich s opera, based on nikolai gogols tale of the nose, gave the young composer an opportunity to use his sense of humor with material from a great russian author. Shostakovich has written a sonata form movement that is nearly all development, with little exposition and even.
Written between 1835 and 1836, the nose tells the story of a st. Shostakovich sheet music free download in pdf or midi on. In chapter 2, kentridge recounts his early career, which began with a series of false starts as he meandered through exploratory pursuits in drawing, acting, and production design for film and television. Inspired by gogols sardonically absurd, socially critical story, shostakovich composed spirited, lighthearted music in 16 short, consecutive scenes. The firsttime reader of a story called the nose may expect any number of things. It is based on a short story by nikolai gogol and tells of major kovalyov, a lowranking government. It marked the first time this modern masterpiece had been performed in russia since its 1930 premiere. Shostakovich, dmitriy listen online, download, sheet music. Feb 23, 2018 based on a short story by nikolai gogol of the same name, the nose was dmitri shostakovich s first opera. With a new translation by david pountney, this is a unique opportunity to experience this rarely performed shostakovich masterpiece sung in english.
The famous theatre director vsevolod meyerhold had many new ideas. His seventh, the leningrad symphony receives great acclaim. See new and popular shostakovich songs, uploaded by musescore users, connect with a community of musicians who love to write and play music. Dmitri shostakovich biography facts, childhood, family. The narrator points our multiple times how crazy this seems and how it makes fun of itself through the things it does.
The nose bizarre, tragic, comic the new york times. Kovalev, sir john tomlinson the barber, and alexander lewis the nose, all reprising their roles from the original season in london, the nose knows no bounds. The nose was written in the late 1920s in the soviet union by shostakovich when there was a very liberal policy towards music. Shostakovich made a reduction of the choral score for voices and piano 15 the nose, opera in 3 acts after nikolai gogol orchestra 19271928 shostakovich assembled a suite from the nose, for tenor, baritone and orchestra as op. I cant speak to the exquisiteness of the translation, but its the one i read. The conflict between cosmopolitan mod ernism and folkloristic nationalism in soviet music, slonimsky noted, is dramati cally illustrated by the creative evolution of dmitri shostakovich. In our catalog, you can find shostakovich sheet music for piano, drums, flute, saxophone, trumpet, guitar and almost any other instrument. Dmitri shostakovich 1906 1975the nose 1927 28opera in 3 actsvalery gergievorchestra of the mariinsky theatre.
There were also some very interesting new plays in the theatres. Entracte from the nose by dmitri shostakovich stars and stripes forever by john philip sousa see appendix b on page 86 for composer information. Now paulo szot reprises his acclaimed performance of a bureaucrat, whose satirical misadventures in search of his missing nose are based on gogols comic story. With pavel smelkov, patricia racette, paulo szot, vladimir ognovenko. However, operas that were being written then were mostly quite uninteresting.
These criticisms were reflective of an artistic ideology that would soon become prominent in. Dmitri shostakovich biography facts, childhood, family life. The second waltz dmitri shostakovich sheet music squarespace. When you lose your nose, you also lose the sense of smell. Shostakovich the nose eduard akimov, platon kuzmich kovalyov. Download free pdf correspondence of literary text and musical phraseology in shostakovich s opera the nose and gogols fantastic tale. During this time, gogols works were primarily focused on the grotesque and absurd, with a romantic twist. You may feel defeated since this is one powerful aspect that you have in life. With the nose, shostakovich produced a score which was both a striking composition in its novelty and creative richness a contemporaneous expression of his reflections on current art and a map holding the key to his future work in symphony and opera two were to. Mar 17, 1985 musically, the nose is one of shostakovich s most daringly avant garde compositions.
The libretto is by shostakovich, yevgeny zamyatin, georgy ionin, and alexander preis. In the nose shostakovich applied a similar technique, but injected into it a new vitality, producing potent, virile vocal lines which the composer sergey slonimsky has aptly described as brilliantly eccentric. Musically, the nose is one of shostakovich s most daringly avant garde compositions. With the nose, shostakovich produced a score which was both a striking composition in. After this condemnation shostakovich devoted himself primarily to symphonies, concertos and quartets. Dimitri shostakovich opera the nose 1930, itself an adaptation. This revived production is likely to be of great interest to all opera fans. Many smaller instrumental works were also forthcoming, as well as his.
The first, the nose, staged in 1930 and based upon gogols story, is also a very modernistic, constructivist work. A child prodigy who was writing notable compositions aged just 12, he completed the nose. Based on a story by nikolai gogol, the libretto was written by shostakovich with yevgeni zamyatin, georgy ionin, and alexander preys. The satirical opera the nose is the first of four not three as mentioned in the booklet operas that shostakovich would compose, and all of them are masterpieces and all 4 are very different. Petersburg, russiadied august 9, 1975, moscow, russia, u. Nos, is dmitri shostakovich s first opera, a satirical work completed in 1928 based on nikolai gogols 1836 story of the same name. The catalogue of works of dmitri dmitrievich shostakovich 19061975 comprises no few er than 147. It was described in the soviet press as oan anarchistos hand. When kovalev loses his nose, he feels as if he is not important and tried to explain that he was to acquaintances. This opera as one example features an all percussion interlude. Proceedings of the xiiith congress of the international comparative literature association. Set in st petersburg, dmitri shostakovich s satirical opera the nose received its premier in 1930.
Correspondence of literary text and musical phraseology in shostakovich s opera the nose and gogols alexander n. Shostakovich s memoirs, by solomon volkov, begins his rehabilitation in the west. The police chief in the opera was probably a coded portrayal of stalin. Shostakovich always said in public what was expected of him but, in this case, the anticipation he generated rather back. Musicological information on shostakovichs the nose the. The nose was an outrageous, satirical opera based on gogolos comic tale of a selfopinionated civil servant whose nose left him in search of higher rank. Shostakovich resorts to composing film music to make a living. Composers were asking musical questions and venturing into places that only the west had gone up until this point. Shostakovich s surreal and brilliant first opera tells the story of a man who wakes one morning to find that his nose has gone missingfind out more at. Over the next several years, shostakovich produced two more symphonies, both patriotic pieces that ingratiated him with the soviet authorities. Nos is a satirical short story by nikolai gogol written during his time living in st. Petersburg then leningrad, 1930 the first of only two completed operas by the great russian composer dmitri shostakovich, the nose is an iconoclastic and unusual work. But with his opera, the nose, shostakovich was accused for the first time. Dmitri shostakovich, in full dmitri dmitriyevich shostakovich, dmitri also spelleddmitry, born september 12 september 25, new style, 1906, st.
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