Piano Quintet in G Minor

Shostakovich, often associated with bitterly sardonic or belligerent music, could at times reveal a more restrained and even tender lyricism. This first became evident in his Cello Sonata of 1934, then blossomed more fully in his Piano Quintet, written over the summer of 1940 (when the Soviet Union was yet to fully participate in the war in Europe and so relatively at peace). This was composed at the suggestion of the Glazunov String Quartet, the ensemble who premiered his String Quartet No. 1 so he could himself perform with them. The resulting work was awarded the top Stalin Prize—though Shostakovich, typically, gave away the prize money, some of it to the widow of Ukrainian composer Viktor Kosenko (1896-1938). To an extent, the Piano Quintet’s restrained lyricism is due to Shostakovich consciously evoking past Baroque and Classical styles. It starts with a “Prelude” of noble demeanour initiated by the piano, followed by a “Fugue” started by the violins, tenderly expressive at first but building to an emotionally fraught climax. The following “Scherzo”, by contrast, is rumbustious and even (with satirical intent) rather simple-minded, with a central trio section influenced by Spanish folk dance. The “Intermezzo” once again evokes a Baroque sensibility, a violin spinning its melody above a pizzicato bassline before being joined by the other strings. The “Finale” is both charming and insouciant before becoming briefly impassioned, then finally winds up in cod-innocent style.