Shostakovich: How to Compose a Massacre
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 20 พ.ค. 2024
- On Shostakovich's 11th Symphony (subtitled 'The Year 1905'), and how art can be used to process trauma and atrocities.
Script by Emmanuel Clement
Edit by Eddie Muniz
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0:00 - Bloody Sunday
1:30 - Program Music Reflecting Reality
2:30 - How to Compose a Massacre (Shostakovich's 11th)
5:00 - Fugere...
8:38 - In the wake of tragedy...
9:17 - Tocsin, A Warning Bell
9:56 - Legacy
"Art destroys silence." "One must speak the truth about the past or not at all." - Dmitri Shostakovich.
Not to be That Guy and open up That can of worms, but that quote appears in "Testimony," which is a contested and controversial source. However, Shostakovich is cited in other sources to express similar sentiments; according to his close friend Isaak Glikman, he once said, "if they cut off my hands, I will write music anyway, holding the pen between my teeth."
@@sophiatalksmusic3588 did you see the tv movie based on "Testimony"? It had some really silly stuff in it, but also some that was true, like his fear of that knock at the door at 3 in the morning by the KGB. And Ben Kingsley was a bad--not to mention bizarre--choice to play Dimitri; he's short and Indian, I couldn't see past that, not that I'm racist (I'm mixed race).
Shostakovich's music is as factual and important today as it was then...
@@markpaterson2053 I actually did a video essay on my channel talking about the inaccuracies; it's old and pretty flawed in terms of editing, but that film was really sort of all over the place, haha.
@@sophiatalksmusic3588 I know, even the makers themselves seemed aware of it. Remember that part when he's in the car at his own funeral procession and they play his music and he thinks: But why the Eighth?" Made no sense whatsoever, as if they randomly wrote that line to let us see the huge question mark above their heads, lol
The thing is, this isn't even the only time Shostakovich "composed a massacre." The first movement of Symphony 13 also deals with the subject, in that case the Babi Yar massacre of 1941. The part that always stands out to me is the line in the text, "я каждый здесь расстрелянный ребёнок" (loosely translated to "I am every child shot dead here"). On the word "ребёнок" (child), the bass singer jumps from F, to F sharp, to A, and then holds the last syllable at a high G sharp, almost giving the impression that his voice is breaking with grief.
I love the 13th so much. What a powerful piece.
@@xavierdumont Me too! It's one of my favourite symphonies of all time. I'm not super well-versed in music theory, but I'd love to see an analysis on it from that angle. My area is more music history (as well as passing knowledge of the Russian language), so I can talk about it from that angle, though.
Not to mention the 7th symphony
I love the Babi Yar symphony, it's possibly the most bizarre thing he ever wrote, certainly the most self-referential
@@markpaterson2053 I don't think bizarre is the right word. The Nose is bizarre. The 13th is heavy and depressing
If they taught music theory and appreciation like this in high school, a lot more kids would take it and love it. Bravo!
Then the music industry would've been different than what it is now.
This is more music history than music theory
It wouldn't reach all the kids just like with current subjects that are taught today.
Some knowledge are sought after only by curiosity which cannot be forced upon anyone
I learned about this exact piece in this same detail in highschool and it was definitely well appreciated
Unfortunately this isn't music theory. Music theory, for the vast majority of people (and even for the vast majority of musicians) is tedious and difficult to understand as you grapple with contradicting and unexplainable rules of music created over centuries. It involves the memorization of chord structures, names (of techniques) and difficult note movement that again, can be hard to understand. Even simple concepts like suspensions and voice leading can be difficult. And, again, there is no discussion of the inherent beauty or meaning of music most of the time--the things that make videos like this interesting. It's sitting in front of a book, looking at 50 different chords, and trying to understand what kind of cadence is made from a V4/3 of a V.
Another extraordinary symphony by Shostakovich on this theme is his 7th symphony "Leningrad" which he wrote and debuted in Leningrad during the 2-year siege by the Nazis, where hundreds of thousands starved to death. They blasted the symphony live throughout Leningrad, and even to the German soldiers, and it was considered a turning point in the siege. Quite an inspirational story
Leningrad is amazing, I performed it a few years ago - the way shostakovich starts the symphony with a "standard" sounding military theme which then gets contorted and devolves into destitution and chaos.
Please read more on it. Scholarly sources now say most of 1st mov is composed before the war. And it never was played for german soldiers. And it never did anything for turning the siege fate.
Please stop disnefied rumours
@Andrey Rubtsov I never claimed it was all written during the siege, nor did I claim it actually did anything, just that it was a point after which the siege began to turn, sorry if that was unclear. Also just to say you don't need to be so aggressive, I'm trying to share an incredible piece of music and its general context with an audience, which I think is a good thing to do. I never claimed to be a historian, nor am I exactly sharing dangerous misinformation.
Whether the 7th actually has anything to do with the siege of Leningrade is debated, like the true meaning of most of Shostakovich's works. Even the 11th is debated.
There's the official meaning which is what Shostakovich essentially tells the state that the symphony is about so that they allow it to be played, but what Shostakovich actually meant might have been different and never publicised since shostakovich could be sent to a concentration camp for writing music that the authorities didn't like, and had his music banned several times already.
@Warwick The Kingmaker Good point! I just gave the historical context of here of how it was literally premiered during the siege rather than the actual music.
People always go on about his 5th (which is also amazing), but I always tell them “listen to his 11th!” And they’re always like “huh?”
It goes to 11 Spinal Tap...he knew!
They are absolutely amazing but I also love the 8th! That third movement is just arghh
His 11th was the first symphony that i listened, and i loved it and i still love that symphony. Shostakovich was a genius, his every work is my favorite, but 11th will always be my most favorite.
Most of his symphonies are fantastic to be fair.
its my 2nd favorite after his 7th
Shostakovich's 11th is my favorite and probably one of he's most underrated.
His 11th was always my favorite symphony. People know shostakovich by his 5th Or 7th symphony but i always used to tell that 11th is a perfection, the maturity thorough which he had composed the symphony and told the whole story is out of this world.
May the tortured soul of shostakovich rest in peace.
The 8th is his finest work, followed by his 4th.
@@jamesoliver6625 the 8th is a bit too militant sounding for my liking so I much prefer the 4th
@@karespratt5131 To me his 8th is his reflection on the previous dozen years, the psychological trauma of what 4-7 portrayed. His 4th, if properly performed (Kondrashin) is terrifying and when finished should leave the audience hesitant to applaud for fear of what might happen. I find the gentle ending of the 8th (after the shattering terror of the first movement) quietly up-lifting. These symphonies, were the primary support that helped me get through my wife's 15 month losing battle with pancreatic cancer. No other music offered any solace. Dimitri became my close friend during that time.
That "Head-on. Unblinking. Defiant!" at the end gave me chills ngl
Why do I always end up crying when I watch your videos? The emotion of music combined with your speech is fascinating, I really love your work
While I may be a little more restrained (not necessarily a good thing, btw), this one left me weeping.
omg
I have never before cried to a TH-cam video, here is the first.
Inside the Score has that melancholic cadence to his speech, I noticed it from his earlier videos already. It's not a bad thing at all, but he conveys a certain sense of regret and loss through his voice.
This narrator is amazingly skilled, he puts you right in the moment.
One of the most powerful and lasting musical moments of this symphony is just the moment the "massacre" ends. Your eardrums are more or less in a stunned state and so slowly does it creep back into your awareness that the hushed, chilly chords from the strings, the ones that give you the Palace Square, are still playing.
The shocking permanence of the architectural setting, impervious and blind to the destruction of human life that just happened on its own stage, has always affected me.
I know conductor’s aren't supposed to have favourites, but without doubt this is my favourite symphony! I’ve had the immense pleasure of conducting this masterwork, and it was the best hour of my life!! ❤❤️ This Symphony No. 11 is simply a masterpiece by Shostakovich, and is one of the most intense pieces of music ever composed, from its quietest of moments to the heavy ‘rock and roll’ of classical music that occurs in the 2nd and 4th movements!!
I saw this piece performed at Lincoln Center in 2005 (100 years after the massacre). It remains one of the most powerful and visceral experiences I've ever had in a concert hall.
I compare it to Picasso's Guernica, a painting/mural that is so incredibly loud when you see it, that you instinctively hear the sounds of war all around you. With Shostakovich's 11th Symphony, through the music, I literally saw the massacre come to life in that very concert hall.
And the Oscar for best original TH-cam Video Editorial (music and commentary) goes to Inside the Score. This video transcends its niche to offer commentary not just on this piece but on dealing with the aftermath of violence in the modern age. It has something to say and makes you feel something, which are the greatest compliments one can give to any creative work. Well done!
when i saw this i was literary like
IS THIS GONNA BE AN SHOSTAKOVICH 11 ANALYSIS??
Being an instrument in the orchestra, really highlights how the orchestra represents the crowd and each vocal ranges are the different ages and men or women. It makes you feel like you are someone in the crowd when hearing the other instrument parts come from either left, right, forward or behind where you’re chair is
Shostakovich 11 ìs disturbing just listening to it.
it’s incredible how he has made something like that sound so unsettling
I am in awe! As an archivist, I appreciate the example this video provides of how the arts can color our understandings of history. How do individuals and societies process tragedies? How do they manage such expression while operating within a regime that suppresses free speech? What role does the arts play in the construction of historical memory? The lines of inquiry that music analysis opens up are endlessly thought-provoking and I'd like to give a nod to my colleagues in music libraries who are responsible for maintaining many of these unique cultural resources
The 11th, the big 11th must be the greatest piece of film music ... it triggers so much in your head without using one word.
IMO, this is Shostakovitch's most moving work and his most powerful. I first heard this in the music accompanying Carl Sagan's Cosmos (ca. 1980s; which in itself was life changing, not the least for its stunning soundtrack). Naturally, the Stokowski recording they used has become my favorite. The 10th symphony is a close second to this, but ultimately the 11th wins out, partly due to the clarity and genius in telling the story it depicts.
I'll listen to this symphony differently after this. I like the recording by Mavrinsky, but I also have it in full sets by Rudolf Barshai, Mstislav Rostropovich and Vasili Petrenko. One of the most memorable concerts I ever attended was the 7th Conducted by Gennadi Roszhdestvensky, in Madrid around 1990 or 91. I was sitting behind the orchestra, watching the conductor face on. The invasion section with the theme and 11 repetitions was mesmerising. I was in tears by the fourth repetition or so. I don't allow myself to cry with recordings, only at live performances. In the second movement, the guy sitting to my right started scratching himself rhythmically in a varying sequence: right eyebrow, left elbow, right knee, scrotum area... and again and again. It was a terrible case of OCD. I took out my ticket and wrote, ¿TIENE USTED PULGAS? (HAVE YOU GOT FLEAS?), and handed it to him. He was really pissed off and nearly jumped over the two people to his right. Some months later I saw him again at a cycle of Shostakovich quartets. The guy with fleas was definitely into Shostakovich, just like me.
Thank you for talking about one of my favorite Shostakovich symphonies.
I think so much scholarship around Dimitri being obsessed with finding "secret meanings" has really dulled being able to look at the actual subject matter of his works. The 11th is called a propaganda symphony by a lot of people and I think that's really unfair; Shostakovich weaves in prison songs sung by jailed revolutionaries in the tsarist era alongside folk songs and these heartrending moments of absolute violence, and it feels disrespectful to him in a way to say "well it's not *actually* about this incredibly important moment in Russian history, it's secretly about the 1956 Hungarian uprising". The tsarist era was not even 40 years out from when this symphony was written, well within the lifetimes of many many Russians. Russian Bloody Sunday was almost as far from the 11th as Watergate is from us today. These events still resonated with people, and the music encompassing them resonated as well, and resonates with us today. The first time I heard the 11th, I literally saw images of Ferguson happening.
"Real music is always revolutionary, for it cements the ranks of the people; it arouses them and leads them onward." Dimitri Shostakovich.
It's a masterpiece.
great comment
I know the symphony and the story behind... however, your explanation added to the images made me cry like a child. Congratulations... and thanks for reminding me that there is always room for learning and surprise in art.
Thank you for explaining to everyone why I love Shostakovich so much.
I first heard this piece a couple of times on the radio but didn't understand it. Later on I heard it live, but this time knowing a lot more about it. It literally made ALL of the difference, and now it's become one of my favorite works of his.
That was one of the most powerful videos I have watched in a very, very long time. The intensity with which you present the motif and its progression is so perfect that I could not help but be swept away by it, helplessly listening to the ever-increasing panic and anxiety until it all comes crashing down and I just ended up crying.
It's absolutely mind-blowing how well Shostakovich composed and almost visualised the massacre and you gave it more than justice with this beautifully succinct and *very* intense analysis - all in the span of 11 minutes.
Hats off to you, this video is a masterpiece.
I saw this live quite recently. Tension, tears, then toil like no words could ever have portrayed.
This is the first time I hear such a combination of music and it's explanation.Stunning,horrifying yet somehow ethereal but still so realistic.
I was just listening to this symphony yesterday. Knowing a bit of russian history I imagined what it was about, but did not have this level of comprehension of the piece. Excellent video!
My favourite of all the Shostakovich symphonies.
One of the best symphonies of all time
One of the best videos on TH-cam. This Symphony is amazing, one of my favorites from my favorite composer! Thank you for this great content! :D
When I saw the title my first thought was about Shostakovich, then I read description
So this video showed up at random in my recommended. The title caught my eye, and so did the name, as Shostakovich is a named character nin an alt history mod I quite like.
This video blew me the hell away. The passion in your voice, the thunderous and thrilling editing, the words spoken to conjure images, blew my fuckin' balls off, dude. This sub is well earned. I gotta see more of your stuff.
Well, I can only say that this video is a masterpiece. One that introduces another masterpiece, as well. Thank you for the tears, the passion, the uproar. The humanity of it all.
One of my favourite Shostakovich pieces and my favourite recording! The ending bells always give me chills. This was a fascinating analysis!
Could you tell me which recording it is? I liked it alot
@@elchanchito1262 it's the performace with Søndergård from the Proms: th-cam.com/video/Lu09CWT41NE/w-d-xo.html
@@floraf3426 Thank youu :D
@@floraf3426This performance had the greatest gong attack of all time! This recording was perfect
@@yashbspianoandcompositions1042 My favourite is the Helsinki Philharmonic with DePreist. It's slower than almost any other performance I've heard, and the second movement feels less hectic and more gargantuan. The melodies are given space and become less cascades of notes than almost vocal lines. The recording is perfect in almost every sense to me.
Your writing is so evocative, just like the music it describes. You made me feel a lot of emotions. Keep up the good work.
Man, your voice and montage combined with music is something from another world! So cool!
This could be a history video. Honestly, if you are a historian, an artist, and an enthusiast, you can make videos like these
An extremely underrated Shosty masterpiece. The 8th, 10th and 11th will always be my favorites.
THIS video is so WONDERFULLY MADE!! Thank you so much, your analysis and delivery was so well executed!
I'm literally mentally starving in boredom right now and this helps a lot. Thanks a lot!
This is such a cool video, need more of this!
Wow, hearing the music and having you narrate it to me helps me visualise it so much and it pulls me in and keeps me interested, every time I see videos from you I get excited lol!
Oh man, chills. Downright chills. A really great analysis, thank You for the effort You put into it!
We now have 2 most amazing video essays on Shostakovich's work - Yours and Tantacrul's!
(Edit: spelling bc my hands are still shaking lmao)
Dave Hurwitz can be a pain in the bum, but he's also very illuminating on DSCH.
This video is incredible, I felt like I was watching a movie
You are amazing champ.
This is a priceless analysis.
Worth more than many private lessons.
Brilliant work! Thank you for introducing me to this piece
I've been listening to classical music for most of my life and admittedly I was only familiar with the 4th, 5th and 8th symphonies. However, one day I was watching an interview with the jazz flutist Hubert Laws, and he mentioned this work and how powerful it is. That clinched it for me, and I found a copy of the Stokowski/Houston recording. While probably not the best among critics, I figured would be a good starting point (and the sonics for its day are amazing). It is a compellingly fantastic symphony and so evocative of the subject it embraces, like a lot of Shostakovich's music. Thanks for this excellent and informative video.
This is my all time favorite symphony, and I am so glad to see someone break it down like this
Also of note is that many musicologists think that it was far more inspired by the 1956 Hungarian Revolt than the titular 1905 massacre.
Class content ! I love how you approached the piece with so much enthusiasm even though it tends to be discounted as program music commissioned by the Party. I fully share your passion for Shostakovich's musical irony and human courage.
This channel is brilliant! ❤❤
Can’t wait to see what’s coming next!
One of the greatest symphonies ever written, IMO; I loved it even before I understood what Shostakovich was portraying.
Rarely, rarely comest thou, spirit of Revolution.
Fantastic! This is why Shostakovich is such an important composer.
Phenomenal quality video. From the script, to the visuals and editing. Bravo. This is the kind of thing some people would PAY for. Thank you.
This is my all time favorite Symphony.
I'll tell you: It's the very first time that I listen to Shostakovich, thought being a lover of classical music. I have to check it out! Thanks👍
I was waiting for his waltz no 2, it sounds so good
What you described there completely inspired my association, I did know that’s a fugue but now I could know, it’s rifles and running steps that this fugue describe! Truly, a brutal tragedy
I don't think I could have appreciated this piece without that context.
being many years a fan of classical music and Shostakovich in particular, and in this context I thank you very much for this fantastic video
Your Videos are the perfect primer for trying out lesser known pieces.
Magnificent work.
This is the first time one of your videos has made me cry... literally sob.
Wow, what an amazing video! I must come back and rematch after listening to the 11th of Shosta
Let's also appreciate the person who voiced the video. He's brilliant!
I can't say more than this: that shosty guy is a fucking genius.
when you learn the story behind the arts, you'll respect them even more.
I think I heard this story in my first years of college. But I heard that when he debuted the piece; when the audience roared in cheer, that the composer was, in fact, disappointed to hear such praise from them. They didn't get it...not completely. (At least, this was the story told to our class).
In my own experience, some compositions simply aren't meant to be clapped for-, at its performance. Some pieces are meant to invoke reverence, or to make lament, or express religious devotion, or (as in this case) to make the audience remember. My current conductor composed a piece called Hope Rising, dedicating it to the victims of these ridiculous school shootings (mind you, this was 2019) that still continue today. But that day, the audience didn't want to clap, but didn't know how else to express gratitude, or appreciation; so they clapped. but i didn't hear any cheer, only applause. No whistling, nor whooping, or calling, it was just an applause.
Ending of this piece is devastatingly good.
I never would have noticed this!!!! Historical context adds so much to music
Shostakovich kind of always nauseates me, but in the good way? He demands that I confront the enormity of human evil, circumstantial dread, angst of living in a (modern? totalitarian? unjust? violent?) world, and it leaves me exhausted. But the experience is always worth it. Can't wait to pop The Year 1905 in later today.
Always love your videos- your videos make me fall deeper and deeper in love with classical music, thank you so much.
Maxim Shostakovich sat next to his father during the dress rehearsal for the premiere of this symphony. He whispered to his father, Papa, what if they hang you for this?
It‘s a great video, but it misses one very interesting fact. The symphony was composed less than a year after the Soviet Union invaded Hungary to violently crush the peaceful Hungarian Revolution in 1956. Just as in Russia in 1905, people demanded an end to oppression, an end to mass poverty, and for more liberties. Just as then, the people were violently suppressed. It would be quite a coincidence if Shostakovich was not thinking of these recent events when he composed this symphony. Volkov‘s biography of Shostakovich claims this was the case, but it is highly contested.
It wasn't directly stated in the video, but the footage at 1:54 is from the Hungarian Revolution.
I agree drymice. I enjoyed Oscar's analysis very much, especially his explanation of Shostakovich's techniques used in this piece. I will certainly spend more time listening to the 11th. But I agree on the Hungarian Revolution. The Communists murdered millions more than the Czar did (as bad as he was). From what I understand, Shostakovich's 5th Symphony was his veiled protest against the Communists and Stalin. Shostakovich always had a gun pointed at his head. The people that he dedicated his 1st Symphony to were assassinated by Stalin. See Robert Greenberg's lecture on Shostakovich.
@@glennmartin974 And the 11th Symphony won the Lenin Prize. That is some cosmic level irony right there.
en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Symphony_No._11_(Shostakovich)
@@TheMuni777 I can here to say this. It seems 2:04 is a glimpse of "Heroes' Square" in Budapest.
the snare drum is probably meant to represent groups of soldiers firing at the same time, slightly off from one another. they certainly didn’t have automatic weapons at any point, probably bolt actions
Great Video Oscar! Very insightful discussion on how music relates to the human experience. Do you know If you are going to release more podcast episodes in the future? Those were incredibly helpful in continuing my journey of music composition! Especially your interview of David Conte.
I love the 11th. You feel his years of writing movie scores comes through here.
Dimitri's devastating--utterly devastating finale to 11th Symphony is all but agonizing to hear, but it MUST be heard! Human beings should hear the sound of ultimate DEFIANCE against oppression!
If I were to program a tour of a world renowned orchestra like the CSO for example, going to China, this is the Symphony that would end up on the program. With a not so subtle hint about Tiananmen Square.
@@Quotenwagnerianer ha ha
The 11th was the first Shostakovich symphony I listened to.
First of all: Awesome video, you depicted the genius of Shostakovich so well, listening to his music always gives me goosebumbs.
But you left one part, maybe even the most interesting part, completely out. In the final movement he is quoting his 2nd movement, not just to warn us and repeat the music so it sticks better, but to say "history repeats itself". To understand this piece fully you have to know his biographie, the pressure hes under and the conflicts with the soviet union. If you want to get into that I really would suggest "The sound of time" from Julian Barnes, its a perfect start for getting into Shosta.
The 11th Symphonie was an assignment by the Soviet regime for the 40th anniversary of the revolution in 1917 (it was composed in 1957) and Shosta chose to wrote about the Bloody Sunday. He wasnt allowed to critizise the regime as it got him in a lot of trouble earlier, being close to put in a gulag multiple times, so he fled himself in double meanings and ambiguity.
In 1956 there was a revolution in Ungarn, which was put to an bloody end by the soviet army (very simplified). Shosta doesnt just write about the Bloody Sunday, he draws parallels to the time he was in. Extremly typical for him and extremly risky. If the soviets would have interpretated it right, he was a dead man. His son supposedly sad before the premiere "Theyre going to hang you for this". They didnt. They awarded him with prizes, because they couldnt see the criticism. He did this a lot of times, so if you ever heard a piece of Shosta, look farther than the obvious solution, then and only then you can see the whole beauty of the genius Shostakovich
thank you. I love Shostakovich’s music, and this brought his work even closer to me.
Thank you for these videos.
You're a one man inspiration machine.
I am going to watch Shostakovich's 10th symphony tonight!
Your reactions to this symphony remind me of my own to Britten's terrifying evocation of World War 1 in his "War Requiem."
Bro, this deserves so many more views!!
It's always a great day when you upload! 🙌🏾🔥
As a shosty simp, I get giddy every time a semi-famous TH-camr makes a video on shosty! Thanks.
The power of death compels life to understand fear, regardless the medium.
Lovely video!
Dang how come that all of your videos have such a high quality?
I'm incapable of analysing Shostakovich --- I can only strap myself in and hope the car can survive running the gauntlet!
even the 3rd movement of his 8th -- a scherzo with hardly any music in it at all -- still manages to terrify and overwhelm...that's before that symphony both sickens you and breaks your heart
I am Russian, but I learned more from this video than in history lessons. Thank you ❤
When you start listening to history lessons is when you start learning from them.
Thank you for your video of Shostokovich's music. I was mesmerized by the first time I heard the sounds of Shostokovich. His music does this unique contemporaneous accent into an unknown landscape that one senses a reality pressured into upheavals and losses of the unsatisfied. I was fundamentally shocked by his fresh use of instrumentation set and so apart from the other Russia composers. I have learned so much more, too, from the generous shares.
This was an awesomely structured and executed video! Bravo!
you made me want to listen to it live ! Thanks a lot
Brilliant video!
A lot of us came to this music from Carl Sagan's "Cosmos" series on PBS in 1980, which used a small segment in the soundtrack.
Phenomenal video about my favorite Shostakovich symphony, and one of my top 5 favorite symphonies, period. I was fortunate enough to hear Andris Nelsons and the Boston Symphony perform this live when recording their recent Deutsche Grammophon record. The moment where the percussion section "opens fire" was absolutely earth-shattering, with the largest bass drum and tam-tam I've ever seen.
It's a piece I dream one day to conduct, but know that I need a few more decades of life experience to earn the privilege of leading it.
The fast triplet motif heard at 8:00, which he barely comments upon - that is the sound of Gatling guns firing into the populace, cranked until their magazines are empty and nothing moves.
man, what a speedy rendition! i guess this is used for the nature of a youtube video, i am accustomed to a way tranquil rhythm :)
Fun fact : in French, when someone, especially a kid or a teen, runs from home, it's called une fugue. :D
I can't remember the composer or the song, sadly... but we played a concert band competition in HS and the judge asked us if we 'knew what the music we were playing was based off of?' .....of course, we didn't.
What had struck me prior to hearing the story was the way the music was presented. I tend to listen to classical music with my eyes closed and try to let the music tell the story..... and this song starts off with a soft, sweet intro where the band is playing together. it reminded me of some European music.... then, at some point, the timpani would hit a beat, but it was piano. barely heard the first few times...then it gets louder and more percussion is added. At a certain point, the brass (which I was a part of) starts to play more of a march, while the percussion (to me, at the time) seemed to be playing very distinctive beats that were seemingly out of time with the rest of us. The woodwinds played a part that, to me, sounded chaotic.... then the piece would come together in the end with a somber tone but still a sort of march.
At the time, I knew it was telling a story but I couldn't grasp it.
We were told by the judge that the piece was meant to represent the composer's experience of war.... the timpani was the mortar fire slowly getting closer while the band plays together, representing the town going about its normal daily life. When the music got more chaotic, the brass was representing military invaders, woodwinds were the town's people reacting in horror and chaos and the percussion was the gunfire, shell, etc.
suddenly: the song made sense to me... and it was beautifully sad and amazingly well done!
I wish I could remember the piece. It was transposed to fit a band our size, so I think it was originally an orchestral arrangement.
8:37 yeah, like that 👍