SHOSTAKÓVICH 14

Composed in 1969, Dmitri Shostakovich’s *Symphony No. 14 in G minor, Op. 135* is an intense, deeply introspective and funereal work. Scored for soprano, bass, string ensemble, and percussion, this symphony departs from the traditional form and leans more toward an orchestral song cycle. It is based on eleven poems by authors such as Lorca, Apollinaire, Küchelbecker, and Rilke. Although originally written in Russian, Shostakovich authorized performances sung in the original languages of the poetry: Spanish, French, Russian, and German.

In this staged version, we find ourselves in a dystopian world: a once-beautiful and prosperous place, now destroyed, torn apart, and humiliated. Soprano Anette Dasch and baritone Leigh Melrose inhabit a domestic space wrecked by the most brutal fight a couple has ever had… a shattered living room, a broken chair. Perhaps there is a war outside, but we don’t see it; perhaps a weapon lies somewhere in the background, or the television plays images of distant battles… But the real war, the real struggle, is at home. The protagonists mourn the catastrophe and plead with God to witness their suffering.

Shostakovich composed this work following a serious health crisis, and in it he reflects on mortality in a stark, unadorned manner. Musically, he avoids grandiosity in favor of a bare, taut, and expressive texture where every instrument plays a dramatic role.