Shostakovich Symphonies and Concertos - An Owner's Manual: Unlocking the Masters Series (Unlocking the Masters)

(Unlocking the Masters). The fall of the Soviet empire has not diminished the popularity of Dmitri Shostakovich's great symphonies and concertos one bit, despite the fact that most literature on him neglects any substantive discussion of the music itself in favor of biographical speculation on the relationship between the composer and the political climate of the day. This is the first book to provide a detailed, descriptive analysis of the 21 symphonies and concertos, work by work, explaining not just why they are significant documents of their time and place, but why they are great music in general. This offers readers an understanding of why Shostakovich's music enjoys the enduring support of performers and listeners alike, and how it fits into the great tradition of Western classical music generally. "In Shostakovich Symphones and Concertos acclaimed author David Hurwitz describes the musical elements of that language: what is sounds like, how it works expressively, as opposed to providing a mere technical analysis. In this first book of its kind, Hurwitz closely examines fifteen Shostakovich symphonies and six concertos in chronological order, offering a descriptive guided tour of the music as it unfolds in real time, revealing its genius and how it fits in the tradition of Western classical music."--BOOK JACKET David Hurwitz. Chronology Of Works: P. [213]-217. Accompanying Compact Disc Contains Performance Of Shostakovich's Symphony No. 5, Op. 45 [i.e. 47] (stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra, Yuri Ahronovitch, Conductor), Previously Issued As Bis Bis-cd-357. Distributor's No.: Hl00331692. Includes Bibliographical References (p. [221]-222).