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Symphony No. 2
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Shostakovich’s Symphony No.2 was written in 1927 to fulfil a state commission to mark the tenth anniversary of the October Revolution. The composer opens the compact 20-minute work with a purely instrumental first section followed by a musical setting of Alexander Bezymensky’s poem To October, a hymn of praise to Lenin and the revolution. While avant-garde and modernist traits prevail in the first section, the choral finale features a conventional, almost placating tonal language that emphasises the histrionic gestures of the text, so that the composition communicates as a piece of programmatic propaganda. Shostakovich himself was rather dissatisfied with his Symphony No. 2 but it was awarded first prize in a composition competition for the best pieces relating to the revolution’s jubilee.
This volume is part of the revised and corrected new edition of all 15 symphonies by Dmitri Shostakovich published by Boosey & Hawkes and Sikorski as large format study scores for optimal legibility. All scores and the related orchestral parts have been newly computer typeset, and the orchestral parts are also compatible for performance use with scores in ‘The New Collected Works of Dmitri Shostakovich’.
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More from this series
In celebration of his anniversary year in 2025, music publishers Boosey & Hawkes and Sikorski have jointly launched of a revised and corrected new edition of all 15 symphonies by Dmitri Shostakovich. A worthy tribute to one of the most important composers of the 20th century!
Published as large-format study scores, the new editions ensure optimal legibility. All scores and the related orchestral parts have been newly computer typeset. Scores and orchestral parts are also compatible with editions from the The New Collected Works of Dmitri Shostakovich, thus reflecting the current state of research.
Following the successful completion of this edition project, the piano reductions of the two symphonies with vocal or choral participation as well as study scores and piano reductions of other orchestral works by Dmitri Shostakovich, including the popular Suite for Jazz Orchestra No. 2 and his instrumental concertos, will also be released. Like the study scores of the symphonies, these will be revised and corrected new editions in A4 format and in new computer typesetting.
