SHOSTAKOVICH #5

Indeed one of his most famous pieces Shostakovich's 5th Symphony is an experience never to forget. I had the pleasure of hearing it performed in Nijmegen by a local orchestra. Unfortunately the orchestra was substandard at best. They were struggling with this challenging and mighty mammoth of a piece. The deliberate dissonance that Dmitri so painstakingly placed was unable to be executed. It does make one appreciate some of the great orchestras around the world that pass through NYC. Still, it was impressive to witness an orchestra of part-timers that do this for the love of music and in their spare time, to take on such an ambitious undertaking.

With that aside, I was able to get into moments. Shostakovich was so deeply aware of the harmony thing and his ability to organize the notes for this giant orchestra and reach into his imagination was so movingly expressive. The depth of which his harmony goes is certainly something to strive for as a musician.

The number 5 is a journey of beautiful twists, turns, peaks and valleys, all in the perfect place to keep the listener glued to every note. As he winds us through an absurdly dark and brooding melody of unsentimental sadness (which speaks to me) the piece slowly builds up, with more of the orchestra's colors adding to the richness. Well into the first movement this culminates into a gigantic "FUCK YOU" type of aggressive anger and frustration, but organized into an abstract amalgam that fills my soul.

He plays around and his sense of humor is evident in the second movement, which begins as out as it ends. The third movement is so fucking deep and moving that I don't want to describe it. And the fourth is another big-ass "FUCK YOU" that is amazing and doesn't let you down, right up to the last bang.

Thank you Mr. Shostakovich...