Testimony: Shostakovich and Tchaikovsky

Lilburn Diversions for String Orchestra
Bruckner String Quintet, Adagio
Rautavaara Pelimannit
Tchaikovsky Andante cantabile, TH63
Shostakovich Chamber Symphony

Shostakovich’s Chamber Symphony is an arrangement of his Eighth String Quartet, written after he saw the aftermath of the apocalyptic 1945 bombing of Dresden. Though he dedicated the Quartet to “victims of fascism and war,” in his later memoir, Testimony, Shostakovich said that the Quartet actually described himself.

The Adagio of Bruckner’s String Quintet was lauded as “the pearl of the quintet.. one of the noblest, most enlightened, tenderest and most beautiful in sound.” Tchaikovsky’s Andante cantabile is similarly a movement from a string chamber work, which Tchaikovsky arranged for cello and string orchestra.

Rautavaara and Lilburn hail from opposite sides of the globe - and you can tell from their music. Pelimannit is Rautavaara’s suite of fantasies on Finnish fiddle music, while Lilburn’s Diversions overflow with Lilburn’s love for the Kiwi countryside.