Following
the denunciation of Shostakovich’s Lady Macbeth in 1936, the composer set to
work on what historians consider to be a response to the Pravda’s remarks,
calling his Fifth Symphony “a Soviet artist’s reply to just criticism.” While
the work followed the rules set by socialist realism using the standard
four-movement format and accessible tonal structure, Symphony No. 5 also
exhibits a sense of sadness possibly felt by the composer following his opera
controversy. The slow movement, for example, portrays the sounds of Russian
funeral music, creating sorrowful sentiments for audiences. This symphony brought
Shostakovich back under good terms with the government while still allowing him
to secretly display his emotions.
Listen to Shostakovich's Symphony No. 5 here. After hearing
Shostakovich’s story, do you share his sentiments?
What
ever happened to Lady Macbeth? Well, the opera remained untouched until 1956
when Shostakovich revised and renamed it Katerina Izmaylova. It is still
performed in opera houses today.
