September 23, 2013.Jean-Philippe Rameau and Dmitry Shostakovich.Two composers, both major figures during their lifetime, were born this week.One dominated the music scene during the reign of French King Louis XV, another was considered, officially (if not always), the greatest composer of the Soviet Union.That’s where the parallel ends however; it’s not just that two and a half centuries separate them: Rameau lived during the most brilliant period of French history; Shostakovich’s time was one of the most oppressive in all of the history of Russia.Jean-Philippe Rameauwas born on September 25, 1683, when Louis XIV the Sun King ruled France, but he didn’t come to age as a composer till the 1720s; by then Louis XIV’s son was king.Rameau was approaching 50 when he wrote his first opera, but once he started, he wouldn’t write anything else.He wrote more than 30, and in toto they represent a major development in music history of the 18th century.His very first opera Hippolyte et Aricie, written in 1733, was premiered at the Palais-Royal, his second, Samson, had none other than Voltaire as the librettist.(Unfortunately, it was never performed, even though it went into rehearsals, and its score has been lost).The third opera, Les Indes galantes, was a big success. A curious historical anecdote relates to this opera.In 1725the French settlers convinced several Indian chiefs, Agapit Chicagou among them, to go to Paris.Many Indian chiefs decided to travel to France, but as they were about to board the ship, it sunk; after the accident, most of the chiefs returned home.Apparently the ones who went had a good time in Paris and eventually were brought to Fontainebleau, were they met with the King.The chiefs pledged allegiance to the French crown, and later performed ritual dances at the Theatre Italien.Rameau was inspired by this event; the fourth act (entrées) of Les Indes galantes is called Les Sauvages and tells the story of a daughter of an Indian chief being pursued by a Spaniard and a Frenchmen.
Rameau wrote his 13th opera, Zaïs, in 1748.The highly imaginative Overture to the opera depicts the emergence of the four elements,Earth, Water, Air, and Fire, out of chaos.You can hear it in the performance by Les Musiciens Du Louvre under the direction of Marc Minkowski.
Dmitry Shostakovich, who was also born on September 25, 1906 in St.-Petersburg, Russia, is known mostly as a symphonist.This reputation is totally deserved: Shostakovich wrote 15 symphonies, many of them are among the most important music of the 20th century.He also wrote 15 string quartets, and often these were much more personal, less affected by the events of the day.In 1936 his opera Lady Macbeth of the Mtsensk District, which initially was hailed by the Soviet propaganda machine as a “result of the correct policy of the Party,” fell out of favor.The opera was denounced in Pravda.The same year, in a frightening episode, Shostakovich went to the Bolshoi Theater for a performance of Lady Macbeth only to find Stalin and members of the Politburo in the main box.To his horror they cringed as the music got loud and laughed during the love scenes.Shostakovich was “white as a sheet” when he took bows at the end of the opera.The Great Terror was gaining speed; many of Shostakovich’s friends, including his major patron, Marshal Tukhachevsky, were arrested and shot.His Fourth symphony was banned (officially, Shostakovich withdrew it voluntarily).Scared for his life, he wrote the Fifth Symphony in a much more conservative manner, and it was a great success, both with the public and the officials.This restored Shostakovich’s reputation: the official line was that he learned from his mistakes.That was when Shostakovich composed his first string quartet: the more chamber setting allowed him to experiment with the musical ideas he would not dare to expose in a symphony.You can hear the Quartet no. 1 in C Major op. 49 in the performance by the Borodin Quartet, a great ensemble with which Shostakovich collaborated for many years.This recording was made in 1978.
Rameau and Shostakovich 2013
September 23, 2013. Jean-Philippe Rameau and Dmitry Shostakovich. Two composers, both major figures during their lifetime, were born this week. One dominated the music scene during the reign of French King Louis XV, another was considered, officially (if not always), the greatest composer of the Soviet Union. That’s where the parallel ends however; it’s not just that two and a half centuries separate them: Rameau lived during the most brilliant period of French history; Shostakovich’s time was one of the most oppressive in all of the history of Russia. Jean-Philippe Rameau was born on September 25, 1683, when Louis XIV the Sun King ruled France, but he didn’t come to age as a composer till the 1720s; by then Louis XIV’s son was king. Rameau was approaching 50 when he wrote his first opera, but once he started, he wouldn’t write anything else. He wrote more than 30, and in toto they represent a major development in music history of the 18th century. His very first opera Hippolyte et Aricie, written in 1733, was premiered at the Palais-Royal, his second, Samson, had none other than Voltaire as the librettist. (Unfortunately, it was never performed, even though it went into rehearsals, and its score has been lost). The third opera, Les Indes galantes, was a big success. A curious historical anecdote relates to this opera. In 1725 the French settlers convinced several Indian chiefs, Agapit Chicagou among them, to go to Paris. Many Indian chiefs decided to travel to France, but as they were about to board the ship, it sunk; after the accident, most of the chiefs returned home. Apparently the ones who went had a good time in Paris and eventually were brought to Fontainebleau, were they met with the King. The chiefs pledged allegiance to the French crown, and later performed ritual dances at the Theatre Italien. Rameau was inspired by this event; the fourth act (entrées) of Les Indes galantes is called Les Sauvages and tells the story of a daughter of an Indian chief being pursued by a Spaniard and a Frenchmen.
Rameau wrote his 13th opera, Zaïs, in 1748. The highly imaginative Overture to the opera depicts the emergence of the four elements,Earth, Water, Air, and Fire, out of chaos. You can hear it in the performance by Les Musiciens Du Louvre under the direction of Marc Minkowski.
Dmitry Shostakovich, who was also born on September 25, 1906 in St.-Petersburg, Russia, is known mostly as a symphonist. This reputation is totally deserved: Shostakovich wrote 15
symphonies, many of them are among the most important music of the 20th century. He also wrote 15 string quartets, and often these were much more personal, less affected by the events of the day. In 1936 his opera Lady Macbeth of the Mtsensk District, which initially was hailed by the Soviet propaganda machine as a “result of the correct policy of the Party,” fell out of favor. The opera was denounced in Pravda. The same year, in a frightening episode, Shostakovich went to the Bolshoi Theater for a performance of Lady Macbeth only to find Stalin and members of the Politburo in the main box. To his horror they cringed as the music got loud and laughed during the love scenes. Shostakovich was “white as a sheet” when he took bows at the end of the opera. The Great Terror was gaining speed; many of Shostakovich’s friends, including his major patron, Marshal Tukhachevsky, were arrested and shot. His Fourth symphony was banned (officially, Shostakovich withdrew it voluntarily). Scared for his life, he wrote the Fifth Symphony in a much more conservative manner, and it was a great success, both with the public and the officials. This restored Shostakovich’s reputation: the official line was that he learned from his mistakes. That was when Shostakovich composed his first string quartet: the more chamber setting allowed him to experiment with the musical ideas he would not dare to expose in a symphony. You can hear the Quartet no. 1 in C Major op. 49 in the performance by the Borodin Quartet, a great ensemble with which Shostakovich collaborated for many years. This recording was made in 1978.