Dmitri Shostakovich - Symphony No. 10 in E minor, Op. 93: IV. Andante - Allegro (Score and Analysis)

Dmitri Shostakovich - Symphony No. 10 in E minor, Op. 93: IV. Andante - AllegroForm: sonata

00:00 Introduction. B minor.

The finale begins with an extended introduction, occupying about a third of the movement. The opening phrase of the string basses references the nocturne from the violin concerto. This phrase blends into the lyrical recitative of the oboe, where genuine emotion, gentle tranquillity, and a restrained lament flow like an intimate confession. However, there is no longer any decline or sorrow in this music. The composer delicately alternates between the timbres of the solo instruments. The lyrical outpouring of the oboe is gently taken up by the flute, whose bright and transparent tone gives the melody a serene calm. The last phrase fades with a soft echo in the silvery sound of the piccolo. Moving from instrument to instrument, the broad melodic line of the recitative gradually brightens, filling with clear serenity. Amid the sequence of motives and phrases in this touching melody, a new phrase “branches off,” emphasized by the clarinet's appearance. Anxious violin phrases and heavy string chords bring thoughts back to the trauma, but the bright, playful theme reappears, lyrically echoing with the flute. It becomes clear that the main images in this section represent resilience and becoming. The music here is distinctly free from the reflection motif, and a new clarinet theme generates a fresh impulse that will pervade the remaining thematic material of the finale.

04:14 Principal Theme. E major.

It’s as if the fog lifts: streams of light, joyful animation, and youthful vigor flow into the music. A distant signal introduces the main theme of the finale, light and airy, flowing like cheerful spring brooks. Its folk element is further emphasized when a duet of flutes plays it in the second statement, giving it the character of a svirel tune. The opening theme is transformed with lively energy. Then, in the same spirited flow, a second theme (158) emerges, adding an edge of anxiety to the main theme’s current. The return of the svirel melody dispels the tension.

05:26 Secondary Theme. G minor.

The secondary theme introduces new images into the mounting current. Its two themes are marked by lively folk-dance elements. In its fragmented dynamic contrasts and sudden accents, a vague sense of anxiety arises. In the middle theme, rhythms of threat are carefully added…So far, the sonata exposition has followed a principle of steady dynamic rise with local variations, and all the Allegro themes equally participate in a swift, unified flow. This dramatic progression continues into the development.

06:01 Development:

The development continues the process of musical intensification outlined in the exposition. Here (170), one must not be deceived, for despite a dip in dynamics, the development begins with a direct invasion of rhythms of threat. The development of the exposition’s themes involves a process of mutual convergence, the essence of which is, of course, the gradual intensification of each one. The introduction theme (176) undergoes the most striking transformation. Rhythms of threat become increasingly ominous, and it becomes clear that the development was doomed from the start—elements of the scherzo theme force their way in! The final surge of dynamic buildup (beginning at 180) is marked by the dominance of “the underworldly”. The music becomes saturated with brutality—the scherzo takes over. A symbol of the absolute triumph of the sinister—the scherzo, influenced by an automatism principle, which for Shostakovich carries an exclusively negative connotation, is reduced to its most primitive form: a minor trichord in the rhythm of threat. Snare strikes along fiercely. The entire towering structure loops. The music seems on the brink of catastrophe…

08:13 GRAND CLIMAX (184).

At the last second, before the ultimate affirmation of the devilish triumph, the DSCH motif bursts forth, as if out of nowhere, and with an massive orchestral tutti, brings this diabolical spectacle to an end.The following events bring us back to a mood of the movement’s beginning. DSCH once again senses the presence of threat. Soon, the fog lifts again, and a lively bassoon solo on the principal theme in augmentation leads into the reсap.

09:59 Recapitulation

Themes are presented in the tonic key in a compressed form, with a continued trend toward intensification. The current of movement is once again threatened by the forces of the otherworldly. The monogram motif instantly reacts to this gesture. What follows is marked by an active, determined assertion of this motif.

11:19 Coda

The music finally bursts into E major. On the final pages, a hint of one of the interludes from Lady Macbeth suddenly appears in counterpoint with a blasting timpani soli, intoning the DSCH motif. With this gesture of dark, ironic triumph, linked to the death of you-know-who at the time, the Opus No. 93 comes to an end.