Festliche Ouvertüre (Festive Overture) in A Major, Op. 96
Composer: Dmitri Shostakovich
Date of publication: Late 1954
Shostakovich's Festive Overture was composed in 1954 on behalf of the Bolshoi Theatre, while he was working as their musical consultant. The piece was written to celebrate the 37th anniversary of the October Revolution in 1917 and on a very short notice as well; 3 days before the deadline, Vassili Nebolsin, a conductor for the Bolshoi Theatre Orchestra, came to Shostakovich's apartment and demanded a celebratory commission. Surprisingly, Shostakovich seemed unfazed by the daunting task. Musicologist and friend of Shostakovich Lev Lebedinsky wrote:
“The speed with which he wrote was truly astounding. Moreover, when he wrote light music, he was able to talk, make jokes and compose simultaneously, like the legendary Mozart. He laughed and chuckled, and in the meanwhile, work was under way and the music was being written down.”
The piece opens with a thrilling fanfare that develops into a presto in the 4th rehearsal. The concurrent theme consists of breakneck eighth-notes played by the winds and melodic lyrical motifs from the string section. Festivity is marked by being all-inclusive – everyone unites to merrily parade on the streets. To capture this kinship, Shostakovich employed an extensive orchestra (one piccolo, two flutes, three oboes, three clarinets in A, two bassoons, one contrabassoon; four horns in F, three trumpets in B-flat, two trombones, one bass trombone, one tuba; four horns in F, three trumpets in B-flat, two trombones, and one bass trombone, a percussion section with timpani, triangle, cymbals, bass drum, and snare drum; and strings). It’s amazing to consider that Shostakovich wrote over forty parts within a span of three days.
Shostakovich was constrained by the tight deadline and inflexible happiness festival pieces demand. It didn’t help that the Soviet Union mandated all music to emanate nationalistic pride at the time. As a result, the Overture isn’t deep, but still fun to play and listen to.
The première of the overture was performed on November 6 1954 by the Bolshoi Theatre and conducted by Alexander Melik-Pashayev, one day before the anniversary of the October revolution. Shostakovich's overture was met with overwhelming approval. Lebedinsky, who attended one of the dress rehearsals later wrote that "I heard this brilliant effervescent work, with its vivacious energy spilling over like uncorked champagne."
Fun Fact: this is one of two pieces that Shostakovich conducted himself, along with his cello Concerto No. 1.
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