Shostakovich Piano Concerto 2 Analysis ❲COMPLETE ◎❳

of this concerto, or perhaps a similar analysis of his much darker Piano Concerto No. 1

Shostakovich reportedly embedded musical jokes for his son, though many remain private. shostakovich piano concerto 2 analysis

The first movement immediately establishes a mood of high spirits and rhythmic vitality. It is cast in a standard sonata form, but Shostakovich condenses and manipulates the architecture with a deft hand. of this concerto, or perhaps a similar analysis

Just as quickly, the sun returns. The recapitulation is a literal repeat of the exposition—almost too literal. Analysts note that Shostakovich seems to be mocking the classical convention of "development." He is saying: Why complicate things? This is for my son. Yet, the brief minor-key intrusion suggests the father’s world (the Gulag, the war) is never far away. It is cast in a standard sonata form,

: This is a test of pure finger independence and stamina. The piano and orchestra engage in a high-speed chase, full of rapid-fire scales and percussive chords. The Home Stretch

Around bar 150, the music goes into a fugato (a short fugue). Usually, a fugue implies seriousness. Here, the subject is a trivial dotted rhythm. The instruments pile on top of each other like clowns falling out of a car. Suddenly, the tempo halts. The piano plays a glissando up the entire keyboard (bar 195)—a gesture of pure physical joy—and lands on a high, ringing F.