Shostakovich: String Quartet No.8 - The Sound of Despair (Understanding Music)
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- čas přidán 26. 08. 2024
- A video essay that analyses the String Quartet No.8 by Dmitri Shostakovich, taking a look at the circumstances of the composition of this quartet, the biographical and historical background, and the different movements with their various references and quotes, to try and understand what makes this quartet not just the most popular quartet by Shostakovich, but one of the most touching works of the 20th century.
This is the first part of a series of video essays called "Understanding music". My goal is to explain great works of classical music in a way that is accessible to people with little background in music analysis. If you would enjoy more videos like this, feel free to subscribe. Likes and comments with feedback and suggestions are also welcome!
Shoutout to the St. Lawrence String quartet, whose excellent recording I used. If you'd like to purchase their recording, you can find it here: www.amazon.de/...
Many thanks to olla-volgala, who let me use the score from his video of the Eighth Quartet (with the St. Lawrence Quartet's performance) for this video. If you'd like to hear the quartet in its entirety (now knowing all the background information :) ) why not listen to it here? • Dmitri Shostakovich - ...
Other videos I used:
Shostakovich Symphony 1
Paavo Järvi and the hr-Sinfonieorchester Frankfurt, uploaded on their own channel: • Schostakowitsch: 1. Si...
Shostakovich Cello Concerto 1
Johannes Moser, Stanislaw Skrowaczewski and the hr-Sinfonieorchester Frankfurt, uploaded on their own channel: • Schostakowitsch: 1. Ce...
Tchaikovsky Symphony 6
Valery Gergiev and the Mariinsky Theatre Orchestra, uploaded by kroqgar78 with score: • Tchaikovsky: Symphony ...
Shostakovich Piano Trio 2
Argerich, Kremer, Maisky. Uploaded by 192 bps sound: • Video
The footage of Shostakovich seen throughout the video (except the bit where he is seen performing his 1st piano concerto) is taken from this video uploaded by Tarakankakatz: • Dmitri Shostakovich fi...
Shostakovich performing his First Piano Concerto, uploaded by a1s2d3f4g5q1w2e3 (and what a great name too): • RARE: Young Shostakovi...
Footage from besieged Leningrad, uploaded by Petr Warry: • Video
Footage of Stalin, uploaded by zecxixo: • Joseph Stalin (Documen...
Footage of Stalin's funeral, uploaded by mengutimur: • Joseph Stalin's funeral
Recommended reading on the Eighth Quartet and my most important source: Fanning, David: Shostakovich: String Quartet No.8 (Landmarks in music since 1950).
Makes sense to me
"After all the struggles on our journey, we have simply arrived back where we started. It was all for nothing in the end".
My god.
He sat next to me two weeks ago while we watched Shostakovich's Tenth. He was completely mute afterwards. And then he simply said, how dare he? How dare he write those triumphant, naive fanfares after that Largo? How dare he go back to that mask after such terrifying honesty, after all was lost, a moment which should have been the rightful end of the piece? I didn't really understand then, but I understand a little better now. He, too, lived under a dictator. He fled his homeland and watched it turn to ruins, he and countless other Syrians. And they still ask themselves this question every day, "Was it all for nothing in the end?".
This music is still reality for many today.
Thank you for this wonderful video.
Beautifully put, thank you
If you liked the recording that I used in the video: It's the St. Lawrence String Quartet performing. You can purchase their recording under the link I provided in the description.
Thanks again to olla-vogala for letting me use his score - video. I also put the link to that in the description.
EDIT: Thanks to a the work of a Reddit user from r/classicalmusic, we now have close captioning available in English. Thank you for your time and work!
Or maybe you should really be thanking the St Lawrence String Quartet (and their record company) for not having stuck both you and olla-volgalalalalalala with copyright infringements and had both videos taken down. Seriously, you thank another pirate, but not the actual quartet! WTF?!
@@neilcam They did in fact claim the copyright for this video (or rather, their label did), so if it ever were to make any money (it won't) then they would receive it. I would also point out that my video falls squarely under the definition of fair use. I didn't just upload a video of their recording, I used it as a resource for an educational video. So thanks for the input, I should have thanked the quartet! But I'm definitely not a pirate.
Edit: I added a link to purchase their recording in the description. Thanks for pointing this out!
Where did you go?
What a beautiful insight into the mind, and the soul, behind the music. As someone who only ever had a passing familiarity with classical works, this has made me consider depth that I had never realised before. Thank you for uploading this.
THANK YOU. What a video! Awesome explanation. Unfortunately I'm affraid such a deep video will not be very watched in the internet. People don't really like to use more than 2 neurons.
Great video; shame there isn't more from this channel. I could spend hours watching videos breaking down various classical/romantic/20th century pieces.
Thanks for sharing❤
Thank you for your amazing video. It really touches me a lot. I am in my super bad days now but find a weirdly comfort in this quartet. Maybe althrough I have not gone through what shostakovich did, his despair is universal and transcend by music through time.
Your video makes me understand more of his music and yes such art exists for a reason to express our feeling, whatever it is good or bad. It is our honor to have such a grear composer to express our feelings that cannot be spoken by word, and have people like you to dig deep into what's truly they want to say.
Just like what shostakovich said"When a man is in despair, it means he still believe in something". I believe there is still a strength of reborn exist in such a wonderful masterpiece even if it sounds "all for nothing"
Hope we can see more of ur videos! Keep it up.（as a fan of shosty secretly want more of his videos haha）
I quite like this video
Fantastic video. Really well created, great format, what a lot of work it must have been. Just the right level for people who appreciate and listen but maybe do not know a lot of theory etc. Look forward to future videos!
Thank you for the work you put into this video! It offers a comprehensive insight into all the circumstances that made the 8th quartet possible, and also gives a glimpse of your personal touch. I was mesmerized with the piece, yet perplexed, and was looking for something that would shed light on it. This video addressed that perfectly!
Great video, exactly what I was looking for! I wish there were more videos like this...
Thank you, a really fascinating video. Shostakovich has somehow conjured music which addresses directly the sheer tragedy of being human, and therefore mortal, with the capacity (sometimes a truly great capacity) for suffering.
This was amazingly insightful! Loved your analysis of the song.
This is truly wonderful. Thank you, David. I hope you'll continue to post videos about the music you love.
Does anybody know what happened to this account?? This is the only video on here 😢😢
Really nice video. I like the focus on the music, although I would like it even more if you went even deeper into detail about what makes the music work, maybe even some of the music theory behind it. But I am pleased overall and would love to see a video of one of my favourite pieces: Mahler's Symphony No. 2
I'm glad you enjoyed it! I was trying to not go too heavy on music theory to keep the video accessible to everyone. I'm still looking for the right balance.
Mahler symphonies are definitely on my list!
It is one of my favorites as well. What do you especially enjoy about it?
@@danielcrook82 The whole thing ia just so well-crafted. I love the variation throughout the movements, but the main reason is the last 34 minutes, which may be the best music ever
Wow I studied this piece in A-level Music (UK) when I was 17, now I'm 37 and in awe at how much personality can be put into a work of art. That he saw it as his epitaph, and all the points you've raised really do mean for me that the more you put into the music, the more others will get out of it. I love the referencing of other composers/pieces too. Much darker/heavier than any metal band I've heard. And I'm a metal fan. Kudos
If you make another video I will watch it
Thank you very much for this excellent video! I've recently fallen in love with this piece and have been watching through many analysis videos. This one being one of the better explained in my opinion.
Thanks for your contribution in spreading musical knowledge ! Great and informative essay ! ❤️
Just found your channel and I have to congratulate you on your work! Very educational
Wow this is a great video concept and such a good idea, I love it,great way to learn about a musical piece for sure!!
Incredible video! Its very digestable which is hard to find with musical analysis for me
I`ve watched several documentaries about Shostakovich`s work and the string quartet in particular but you`ve done an amazing job here... In all the docs they mentioned how he put his signature/initials in the work but for some reason none of `em really showed it in principal. However in neither of them was it mentioned that the theme from Piano Trio No.2 is incorporated in this work - let alone to tell the meaning behind it. Just one question in regards to the third movement (really liked the cynical/sarcastic waltz definition btw). It sounds to me as if I can hear just a few notes from Shostakovich`s Waltz. No 2 and I was wondering if he infused this work of his as well. I guess you would`ve mentioned it but still...
The quartet was premiered in 1960 in Leningrad by the Beethoven Quartet. In the liner notes of the Borodin Quartet's 1962 recording, music critic Erik Smith writes, "The Borodin Quartet played this work to the composer at his Moscow home, hoping for his criticisms. But Shostakovich, overwhelmed by this beautiful realization of his most personal feelings, buried his head in his hands and wept. When they had finished playing, the four musicians quietly packed up their instruments and stole out of the room."
I think about this fact a lot
Wow, didn't know there are so many citations in the piece. Thank you for compiling this!
One correction on the fact, release of Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk, the criticism on Pravda to it and release of 5th symphony happened on 30s that overlaps with the Great Purge, not 40s.
What a strange mistake, I think I simply confused 1936 and 1946 in my script! Thank you for the note.
Very well done!!! Thank you for the informative and professional presentation.
Great video, thank you!
Fascinating video David, subscribed.
i always thought his use of the motif was meant to be an act of defiance, a way to evade any potential censoring of his name-- but with the context of his life at that time, it really does feel more like him coming to terms with the thought of his own death by violence. i wonder how much it might have been a mix of both.
Hi David. Great video, Thanks a lot.
I'd like to have italian subtitles on it. If you want, I can translate the English ones and send to you the italian version
I had not seen the score before, but I have seen many of his scores. And there is one thing that always strikes me: He insists on writing fast movements in notation that does not look fast at all. Instead of using quavers or semiquavers he prefers to write in crotchests and then asking for insane metronome speeds to make it clear that this is extremely fast.
It's really odd and makes it not really easier to read.
Currently reading his book. Awesome
Excellent!👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻 Subscribed! Please make more videos! Btw what instrument do you play?
Thank you. Really.
great essay congrats
When are you going to upload, I've been interested in you're channel since i first discovered it (english not my first language)
mooreee!!!
Working on it! I had a video well underway, but then my laptop died. Lessons were learnt and I’m back to work!
@@understandingmusic6620 thank you!!! it is so hard to find insights like that.. 💓
Is there any way to get the st lawrence version without interpretations between the movements
Yes! I've provided a link to the recording in the description, as well as a link to purchase their CD if you'd like to.
@@understandingmusic6620 oh I see it now, thank you for adding it.
Why no more analysis?
Привет из России👋 Да я понял! 😢
Greetings from Russia 👋Yes, I get it! 😢
Stalin made the right call, the music was better retaining tonality.