Shostakovich 5th Symphony is one of the deepest and more intense symphonies of the twentieth century. All throughout its countless tensions and contradictions, Shostakovich uses tempo to intensify an arch shape, building in intensity to a climax of apocalyptic intensity, finally disintegrating into tragic resignation.
The restraint use of the orchestra instruments of the beginning and ending is matched by the near hysterical abandon of the third movement's climax. The arch form, carefully calculated by Shostakovich's metronome markings, beginning very slowly and gradually speeding up through the development and then the winding down to end at very nearly the same speed as the opening.
The almost physical impact of the beginning belies how restrained he is using the orchestra in the opening paragraphs. The second movement is an abrupt and taciturn Allegretto where a solo violin plays flirtatiously before descending into noisy violence. In the third movement, the extraordinary Largo written is a moving creation where brass remain silent and the oboe, clarinet and flute sing loneliness over a string tremolo accompaniment. The Finale shatters the rapt stillness of the Largo with a violent and brutish march, the theme of which integrates material from no less than three sources: Carmen,Robert Burns poem "MacPherson's Farewell" and Pushkin's poem "Rebirth".
Overall, the fifth symphony is the climax of a very well-developed polyphonic discourse wherein restraint and individual orchestral voices, Largo inner dialogues, coda speed parodies, inter-textual echoes with Pushkin's poem "Rebirth" and metronome ambiguity interact dialogically, independently of a controlling monologic narrative voice.
Recommended Recording
Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra; Vasily Petrenko (conductor).
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