I would love more classical to be featured in the future! Very few reaction channels touch it at all and the way you listen to and critique music I think is complimented very well by classical pieces ❤️
Wow, I am so happy to see a reaction to Shostakovich! I'd be even happier to see a reaction to 8th or 4th, but I'm already super excited with what you did with it.
I think classical music reaction is something that a lot of people would appreciate whether they are familiar with it or not. It's a great enjoyment for you, surely, and it expands the knowledge of some of the musical intricacies. If you do venture into this direction more, by god I would absolutely to see a reaction to some Mahler symphonies. There is SO much to unpack here!
Man, I just went ot a performance of Shosta's Fifth a few hours ago (Columbia, MD); my mum is a cellist in an orchestra and they killed it. He was a fantastic composer who deserves all the recognition he gets. Your channel is one of the best for analysis, so this is a perfect blend. More!
To answer your questions: Very broadly speaking, there are themes in each movement and they all recur throughout the movements in some way The first movement is in sonata form but the adherence to the form is weak and the use of the invasion theme for the bulk of the development is highly unconventional but it works in the context (invasion of the Germans during WWII) 3:07 - Theme 1 5:15 and 6:22 - Theme 2 in flute and oboe respectively (this becomes/corresponds to the bassoon theme in the recap at 27:38) 22:21 - Climax of development where Theme 1(3:07) is fragmented and brought back in winds, brass and strings (for Shostakovich the climax often has the dual function of both being the peak of the development as well as the beginning of the recap, so it depends on how you interpret it to fit into your idea of a "sonata form") Second movement: 1:08:16 - Theme 1 (violins) 1:09:38 - Theme 2 (oboe and later cor anglais; bass clarinet and clarinet in the recap) 1:12:53 - Theme 3 (Eb clarinet) Third movement: 1:42:29 - Theme 1 (developed in brass at 1:51:54 and in 1st and 3rd trumpets at 1:52:22 but with intervals altered slightly for feels) 1:46:11 - Theme 2 (flute and later viola in recap) Fourth movement - the most complex one because the main ideas of the movement happen simultaneously in the recap 2:19:03 - Theme 1 (violins) (recurs (but slowed down massively) at 2:28:27 in first violins, 2:29:35 in violas, 2:30:37 in violins/violas, 2:31:21 in bass clarinet/bassoons, 2:31:34 in upper winds, 2:33:15 in 5th, 6th, 7th and 8th horns, 2:33:53 in timpani, 2:34:14 in trumpets and trombones, 2:35:50 in trombones and lower strings, 2:36:23 in timpani) 2:34:57 is based on a fragment of Theme 1 (the rhythmic two quaver-crotchet idea) 2:23:32 - Theme 2 (Eb-D-Eb ostinato in violas and violins) (recurs from 2:28:14 in various string sections starting on violas, 2:32:15 in winds, 2:34:04 in low winds and brass) 2:35:09 to 2:35:42 is a massive recap in the trombones and trumpets of Theme 1 from the FIRST MOVEMENT at 3:07 - it's mindblowing once you realise this Arpe is harp(s); morendo as a playing instruction means fading away to nothing ("die-off")
Thank you so much for all of the details here. You're right about that fourth movement being complex; I'm not sure I would have ever picked up on every single time the theme was revisited on my own. Also bringing back a theme from the first movement? Who does that? That's such a power move on his part 😄
2:35:09 if you would have paid attention, the Leningrad theme (1st theme in the 1st movement) returns. One of the most wonderful example of that in the whole musical canon. At least it brings a tear in my eye everytime.
A very enjoyable ride indeed! Both with the music (new to me), reactions and analyses. (I was impressed with your seemingly correct identification of every instrument - it hasn't always been your strongest game. Then I realised it was told in the sheet music. I myself wasn't watching but listening along - while raking leaves 😅)
I would love for you to do more classical, selfishly. I go to orchestras occasionally now and like to try composing so this is super interesting. Downloaded this video as I have a flight to Europe so will watch this properly later. Could you also react to Shostakovich's Chamber Symphony Op 110a? It's insane lol, anyway hope you're well.
“When it finished I realized that never ever shall we be able to enter Leningrad. It is not a city that can be conquered.” This was said by a German general after hearing the Soviets blast the premier of this symphony over the loudspeakers during the siege of Leningrad. The players of the orchestra starving to death while playing inside the city. It is a very dark work with a grinding victory at the end. The political and historical relevance really makes this piece. It is less confusing when understood in it’s proper context. Thanks for reacting! I think you should listen to it again, after looking at some of the circumstances surrounding this piece of music. I think you’ll find it less confusing. It is dense though, and I think in this particular performance, the conductor takes the finale a bit too slow. However, I really think it gives you an idea of what people were going through at this time.
Baasically, I see the symphony centered around III. Adagio, with the section Moderato Risoluto (!) as the breaking point. We are presented with the scenery, the problem, go to the dark and passive melancholy, and come back through resolve with the snare drumming a counter-rhytm to the invasion drum, it culminates with the grandiouse french horn blast, and then it's only one way up and forward to the warmth and life. IV part feels a bit too prolonged, but it's basically a one epic preparation for the victorious fanfare in the end. I'd add, that it's likely an allusion to macabre every time we hear xylophone dancing above melody lines. In general, the IV part tells us a lot about Shostakovich the cinema music writer: the first part of it sounds a lot like something we could hear in a cartoonish scence of battle, and the second is like an epic outro before titles.
"Archi" (with a k sound, "arki") simply means strings, or more specifically, bows. . Shostakovich is rad, one of my favourite composers, so metal at times. You should check out the string orchestra arrangement (Chamber symphony op. 110a) of his string quartet, it is more metal than metal sometimes. Perhaps my favourite string orchestra piece.
Makes a lot of sense that you might have enjoyed this more, listening in a more relaxed style, just letting it take you wherever instead of having to be analytical about it. I mean., of course that's how I approached it when I first found this.
"Only" 42 minutes in so far, but enjoying every bit so far. I don't listen much to this pieces nowadays but it was on repeat when I was a teenager. Don't think I ever read the music before, but it makes me hear more things than otherwise. Nice combination with the nostalgia and all. Guess the 1st movement is an expression of the evils of war and oppression, with the aftermath coming after the climax. The lengthy build up is probably intentionally long, trying to describe the suffering of war. I never really listened to it knowing that, however. It was just a story of music for me. I just love all these dense chords. Might explain why I also love the chords of Krallice's "Monolith of Possession".
Congratulations on getting your request picked! A really great symphony that I think is new to me. I do wonder whether Philemon Arthur & the Dung got inspired by the first movement for their classic In kommer Gösta 🤔
It's supposed to convey an invasion. It actually was performed for the first time while the city of Leningrad was under siege. You should watch this documentary if you're interested in the subject th-cam.com/play/PLD71E85C6FA927591.html
@@TortugaHolandes He supposedly started writing this before WW2, so while he might've jumped on the opportunity for it to portray the siege it is probably more a depiction of the evils of Stalin etc.
@@progperljungman8218 Thanks, I wasn't holding my breath but here I am :) The long build-up is usually compared to Ravel's Bolero otherwise - both supposedly depicting agonizing stuff, but with Bolero said to describe the pains of lying awake, not being able to fall asleep.
@@Cynips But seriously, I guess you've heard "In kommer Gösta"? Can you hear the similarity in the single "riff" (only pitch raised once in a while) that is that song? Was just a fun reflection listening to this truly epic piece 🙂
I think a fun price to analyse would be Scriabin’s « poem of ecstasy » it’s form is subversive and his orchestration is immaculate. It’s also decently compact, about 21 minutes.
Love this composer. Nice having the score to follow and see how the music develops. The slow build in the first movement is great. Very expansive. Shostakovich seems very jazzy in his approach.....how he got it past the Soviets is amazing. Of course, he often did not and had to re-write or eliminate passages that were to 'out there'. Sad when a government thinks it should regulate culture and art. This first movement feels somewhat like a sarcastic musical statement, almost a caricature with dark undertones to the joyful, circus-like march. Then it devolves into an angry, sorrowful statement. Mournful and sad. Then he brings back the happy tune with more sad undertones. And quietly ends. Shostakovich has a lot to say. (were you searching for the word 're-capitulation'?)
I think you're on to something with describing his approach as "jazzy." He's quite a bit freer with his harmonic expression and his music feels more open because of it. And yeah, recapitulation is the word I was thinking of. It's been a long time since I've used that vocabulary so I remember the general ideas more easily than the specific words. 😄
While I think this is my first full symphony reaction, I have quite a few reactions to classical music. I have a whole playlist for it that can be found on the Genre Playlists shelf on my channel's home page. I believe I have 2 or 3 reactions to Schnittke.
20:58 i cant listen to classical music because i get what i call "instrument sickness" hearing the same timbre over and over again with new nonsensical melodies is tiring me. its the same tempo and message, its just a different set of everchanging notes.
To be fair, the first movement of this symphony isn't a great representation of "classical music". Most of the first movement is very similar to the piece called "bolero" by Ravel, which is deemed a very boring piece by most classical "elistist". Prog rock is basically rock music with classical inspired "song" structures. If you get a chance I highly recommend you check out rachmaninoff's piano concerto no.2 and Rebbeca Clarke's Viola sonata no.1.
That's not correct. There is absolutely development in timbre, textures and emotion but it's the ("music") same musical idea being repeated in that March section for a long time. But it creates tension, so when the music finally arrives at a different place, we feel/experience it in a certain way that we would be unable to do if we were to skip it.
This is because this recording is so uninspiring, the music is much more than this. Check Shostakovich playing it on the piano in the real tempo he wanted. And find some russian performances or Bernstein with Chichago Symphony
Archi is the italian word for stringed instruments. And when you were wondering about bar 60 it was really bar 555. The 60 was the rehearsal number. Arpe is the Harp. Shostakowitsch always uses the italian names. For example the Snaredrum is Tamburo in his scores. My personal take on the 7th is not favourable. Out of Shostakovich's big symphonies (the ones that last the longest and have the biggest scoring) it is my least favourite. I know of its historical importance, how it was composed as and was used as a huge propaganda piece against the Nazi Invasion of the SU and Europe in general, that its score was secretely smuggled out of the SU on microfilm so that it's western premiere could take in the U.S. But on pure musical merit it's a whole lot of disjointed, chestthumping nothing. As a commentary on WW2 the 8th Symphony is the superiour piece. It feels way more honest than the 7th and as such was of course critizised by the party in the SU. It wasn't suitable for their propaganda like the 7th was. So don't feel bad for pointing out that you heard flaws in the composition. They are in there.
Stop referring to the movements as 'songs' please. There are children listening and it is your responsibility as a musically educated adult to teach them the correct terms. Words matter.
I would love more classical to be featured in the future! Very few reaction channels touch it at all and the way you listen to and critique music I think is complimented very well by classical pieces ❤️
Wow, I am so happy to see a reaction to Shostakovich! I'd be even happier to see a reaction to 8th or 4th, but I'm already super excited with what you did with it.
I think classical music reaction is something that a lot of people would appreciate whether they are familiar with it or not. It's a great enjoyment for you, surely, and it expands the knowledge of some of the musical intricacies. If you do venture into this direction more, by god I would absolutely to see a reaction to some Mahler symphonies. There is SO much to unpack here!
Man, I just went ot a performance of Shosta's Fifth a few hours ago (Columbia, MD); my mum is a cellist in an orchestra and they killed it.
He was a fantastic composer who deserves all the recognition he gets. Your channel is one of the best for analysis, so this is a perfect blend. More!
To answer your questions:
Very broadly speaking, there are themes in each movement and they all recur throughout the movements in some way
The first movement is in sonata form but the adherence to the form is weak and the use of the invasion theme for the bulk of the development is highly unconventional but it works in the context (invasion of the Germans during WWII)
3:07 - Theme 1
5:15 and 6:22 - Theme 2 in flute and oboe respectively (this becomes/corresponds to the bassoon theme in the recap at 27:38)
22:21 - Climax of development where Theme 1(3:07) is fragmented and brought back in winds, brass and strings (for Shostakovich the climax often has the dual function of both being the peak of the development as well as the beginning of the recap, so it depends on how you interpret it to fit into your idea of a "sonata form")
Second movement:
1:08:16 - Theme 1 (violins)
1:09:38 - Theme 2 (oboe and later cor anglais; bass clarinet and clarinet in the recap)
1:12:53 - Theme 3 (Eb clarinet)
Third movement:
1:42:29 - Theme 1 (developed in brass at 1:51:54 and in 1st and 3rd trumpets at 1:52:22 but with intervals altered slightly for feels)
1:46:11 - Theme 2 (flute and later viola in recap)
Fourth movement - the most complex one because the main ideas of the movement happen simultaneously in the recap
2:19:03 - Theme 1 (violins) (recurs (but slowed down massively) at 2:28:27 in first violins, 2:29:35 in violas, 2:30:37 in violins/violas, 2:31:21 in bass clarinet/bassoons, 2:31:34 in upper winds, 2:33:15 in 5th, 6th, 7th and 8th horns, 2:33:53 in timpani, 2:34:14 in trumpets and trombones, 2:35:50 in trombones and lower strings, 2:36:23 in timpani)
2:34:57 is based on a fragment of Theme 1 (the rhythmic two quaver-crotchet idea)
2:23:32 - Theme 2 (Eb-D-Eb ostinato in violas and violins) (recurs from 2:28:14 in various string sections starting on violas, 2:32:15 in winds, 2:34:04 in low winds and brass)
2:35:09 to 2:35:42 is a massive recap in the trombones and trumpets of Theme 1 from the FIRST MOVEMENT at 3:07 - it's mindblowing once you realise this
Arpe is harp(s); morendo as a playing instruction means fading away to nothing ("die-off")
Thank you so much for all of the details here. You're right about that fourth movement being complex; I'm not sure I would have ever picked up on every single time the theme was revisited on my own. Also bringing back a theme from the first movement? Who does that? That's such a power move on his part 😄
2:35:09 if you would have paid attention, the Leningrad theme (1st theme in the 1st movement) returns. One of the most wonderful example of that in the whole musical canon. At least it brings a tear in my eye everytime.
1:46:27 ah! what a bold choice on bryan's part to add percussion
I didn't even realize that it kinda worked with the song, at least rhythmically. 😂
A very enjoyable ride indeed! Both with the music (new to me), reactions and analyses.
(I was impressed with your seemingly correct identification of every instrument - it hasn't always been your strongest game. Then I realised it was told in the sheet music. I myself wasn't watching but listening along - while raking leaves 😅)
I would love for you to do more classical, selfishly. I go to orchestras occasionally now and like to try composing so this is super interesting. Downloaded this video as I have a flight to Europe so will watch this properly later. Could you also react to Shostakovich's Chamber Symphony Op 110a? It's insane lol, anyway hope you're well.
I was hoping for this reactions, man! Thanks so much! Please, react to Quartet for the End of Time or Black Angels 🙏🏼
Looking forward to watching this one
“When it finished I realized that never ever shall we be able to enter Leningrad. It is not a city that can be conquered.” This was said by a German general after hearing the Soviets blast the premier of this symphony over the loudspeakers during the siege of Leningrad. The players of the orchestra starving to death while playing inside the city. It is a very dark work with a grinding victory at the end. The political and historical relevance really makes this piece. It is less confusing when understood in it’s proper context. Thanks for reacting! I think you should listen to it again, after looking at some of the circumstances surrounding this piece of music. I think you’ll find it less confusing. It is dense though, and I think in this particular performance, the conductor takes the finale a bit too slow. However, I really think it gives you an idea of what people were going through at this time.
If you want something short and meaty to analyze orchestration I suggest Ravel "Daphnis et Chloe Suite No. 2" or "La Valse".
Baasically, I see the symphony centered around III. Adagio, with the section Moderato Risoluto (!) as the breaking point. We are presented with the scenery, the problem, go to the dark and passive melancholy, and come back through resolve with the snare drumming a counter-rhytm to the invasion drum, it culminates with the grandiouse french horn blast, and then it's only one way up and forward to the warmth and life. IV part feels a bit too prolonged, but it's basically a one epic preparation for the victorious fanfare in the end. I'd add, that it's likely an allusion to macabre every time we hear xylophone dancing above melody lines. In general, the IV part tells us a lot about Shostakovich the cinema music writer: the first part of it sounds a lot like something we could hear in a cartoonish scence of battle, and the second is like an epic outro before titles.
The building in Allegretto reminds me of Ravel's Boléro, as mentioned by @Cynips
"Archi" (with a k sound, "arki") simply means strings, or more specifically, bows. . Shostakovich is rad, one of my favourite composers, so metal at times. You should check out the string orchestra arrangement (Chamber symphony op. 110a) of his string quartet, it is more metal than metal sometimes. Perhaps my favourite string orchestra piece.
Makes a lot of sense that you might have enjoyed this more, listening in a more relaxed style, just letting it take you wherever instead of having to be analytical about it. I mean., of course that's how I approached it when I first found this.
"Only" 42 minutes in so far, but enjoying every bit so far. I don't listen much to this pieces nowadays but it was on repeat when I was a teenager. Don't think I ever read the music before, but it makes me hear more things than otherwise. Nice combination with the nostalgia and all.
Guess the 1st movement is an expression of the evils of war and oppression, with the aftermath coming after the climax. The lengthy build up is probably intentionally long, trying to describe the suffering of war. I never really listened to it knowing that, however. It was just a story of music for me. I just love all these dense chords. Might explain why I also love the chords of Krallice's "Monolith of Possession".
Congratulations on getting your request picked! A really great symphony that I think is new to me.
I do wonder whether Philemon Arthur & the Dung got inspired by the first movement for their classic In kommer Gösta 🤔
It's supposed to convey an invasion. It actually was performed for the first time while the city of Leningrad was under siege. You should watch this documentary if you're interested in the subject th-cam.com/play/PLD71E85C6FA927591.html
@@TortugaHolandes He supposedly started writing this before WW2, so while he might've jumped on the opportunity for it to portray the siege it is probably more a depiction of the evils of Stalin etc.
@@progperljungman8218 Thanks, I wasn't holding my breath but here I am :) The long build-up is usually compared to Ravel's Bolero otherwise - both supposedly depicting agonizing stuff, but with Bolero said to describe the pains of lying awake, not being able to fall asleep.
@@Cynips But seriously, I guess you've heard "In kommer Gösta"? Can you hear the similarity in the single "riff" (only pitch raised once in a while) that is that song?
Was just a fun reflection listening to this truly epic piece 🙂
You have to react to the Symphony No.4! The best Shostakovich symphony!
8th and 4th, and 15th, intricate and impressive works.
I think a fun price to analyse would be Scriabin’s « poem of ecstasy » it’s form is subversive and his orchestration is immaculate. It’s also decently compact, about 21 minutes.
Leningrad symphony. legendary masterpiece
Love this composer. Nice having the score to follow and see how the music develops. The slow build in the first movement is great. Very expansive. Shostakovich seems very jazzy in his approach.....how he got it past the Soviets is amazing. Of course, he often did not and had to re-write or eliminate passages that were to 'out there'. Sad when a government thinks it should regulate culture and art.
This first movement feels somewhat like a sarcastic musical statement, almost a caricature with dark undertones to the joyful, circus-like march. Then it devolves into an angry, sorrowful statement. Mournful and sad. Then he brings back the happy tune with more sad undertones. And quietly ends.
Shostakovich has a lot to say. (were you searching for the word 're-capitulation'?)
I think you're on to something with describing his approach as "jazzy." He's quite a bit freer with his harmonic expression and his music feels more open because of it.
And yeah, recapitulation is the word I was thinking of. It's been a long time since I've used that vocabulary so I remember the general ideas more easily than the specific words. 😄
Let the head banging commence!
Thanks, I’m a huge fan of classical music and also play it by myself. How about more complex classical stuff like for example Alfred Schnittke ?
While I think this is my first full symphony reaction, I have quite a few reactions to classical music. I have a whole playlist for it that can be found on the Genre Playlists shelf on my channel's home page. I believe I have 2 or 3 reactions to Schnittke.
Isn't Arp. referring to the harp? Like in the word arpeggio. Edit: yeah, you're on the same track.
Omg what a slow tempo for that first movement, I'm sure Shostakovich didn't want it this slow, it should sound terrifying not relaxed!
20:58 i cant listen to classical music because i get what i call "instrument sickness" hearing the same timbre over and over again with new nonsensical melodies is tiring me. its the same tempo and message, its just a different set of everchanging notes.
To be fair, the first movement of this symphony isn't a great representation of "classical music". Most of the first movement is very similar to the piece called "bolero" by Ravel, which is deemed a very boring piece by most classical "elistist". Prog rock is basically rock music with classical inspired "song" structures.
If you get a chance I highly recommend you check out rachmaninoff's piano concerto no.2 and Rebbeca Clarke's Viola sonata no.1.
well then try some more expressive pieces then, like his IX symphony or Prokofiev's Scythian Suite
For someone who has "Progrock" in his name this is a rather confusing statement.
That's not correct. There is absolutely development in timbre, textures and emotion but it's the ("music") same musical idea being repeated in that March section for a long time. But it creates tension, so when the music finally arrives at a different place, we feel/experience it in a certain way that we would be unable to do if we were to skip it.
This is because this recording is so uninspiring, the music is much more than this. Check Shostakovich playing it on the piano in the real tempo he wanted. And find some russian performances or Bernstein with Chichago Symphony
Archi is the italian word for stringed instruments. And when you were wondering about bar 60 it was really bar 555. The 60 was the rehearsal number.
Arpe is the Harp. Shostakowitsch always uses the italian names. For example the Snaredrum is Tamburo in his scores.
My personal take on the 7th is not favourable. Out of Shostakovich's big symphonies (the ones that last the longest and have the biggest scoring) it is my least favourite.
I know of its historical importance, how it was composed as and was used as a huge propaganda piece against the Nazi Invasion of the SU and Europe in general, that its score was secretely smuggled out of the SU on microfilm so that it's western premiere could take in the U.S.
But on pure musical merit it's a whole lot of disjointed, chestthumping nothing.
As a commentary on WW2 the 8th Symphony is the superiour piece. It feels way more honest than the 7th and as such was of course critizised by the party in the SU. It wasn't suitable for their propaganda like the 7th was.
So don't feel bad for pointing out that you heard flaws in the composition. They are in there.
Stop referring to the movements as 'songs' please. There are children listening and it is your responsibility as a musically educated adult to teach them the correct terms. Words matter.