Festive Overture, Opus 96 - Dimitri Shostakovich, transcribed by Donald Hunsberger

Описание: Festive Overture, Opus 96, by Dimitri Shostakovich

Dimitri Shostakovich (1906-1975) was one of the foremost 20thcentury Russian composers. Although he showed no interest in music until starting piano lessons with his mother at the age of 9, he was playing simple classics within a month. Entering the Petrograd Conservatory in 1919, he studied piano with Leonid Nikolnaev and composition with Maximilian Steinberg. The 1926 premiere of his First Symphony and its success abroad labeled him as the leading young composer in Russia after the 1917 Revolution.

Shostakovich wrote the “Festive Overture” in November 1954 and it was performed that same month. The piece begins with a grand brass fanfare. The tempo abruptly changes to Presto for the main theme voiced by the clarinets and carried through variations. The 2nd theme for horn is more flowing and romantic, while the accompanying figure continues the sense of urgency. The original Presto returns and combines with the 2nd theme in the brasses. After a short transition, the fanfare returns in the finale. Donald Hunsberger’s bright transcription has become a staple of the wind band repertoire. (www.windliterature.org/festiveoverture)

The Oklahoma City Symphonic Band is under the direction of Dr. Mark G. Belcik.