Dimitri Shostakovich – (Festive Overture, Op. 96 and Symphony No. 5 in D minor, Op. 47 ) and Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky – (Piano concerto No. 1 in B-flat minor, Op.23)

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Festive Overture, Op. 96
Dmitri Shostakovich wrote this Overture in 1954 to commemorate the 37th anniversary of the Russian Revolution in Moscow CITATION Hul10 p 377 l 2057 (Hulme 377). The conductor, Vasily Nebolsin found himself with no work ready to open the planned concert. He approached Shostakovich and asked him to fill the breach. Shostakovich agreed and asked his friend Lev Lebedinsky to keep him company while composed the overture. He finished composing the work in three days. It has also been argued that the jubilant nature of the piece may point to relief at Joseph Stalin’s death one year earlier. The piece is brilliant and full of fanfare.
The instruments for the overture include two flutes, piccolo, three oboes, three clarinet, two bassoons, contrabassoon, four horns, three trumpets, three trombones, tuba, timpani, percussion and strings. The performance time of the overture is about six minutes. The brass introduces the piece with a stentorian proclamation and joined by the winds playing a fast melody. The melody is picked up by the strings reaching a climax with a repeated four-note pattern. The winds and cello play a more lyrical melody maintaining the tempo. The themes in the piece are used in counterpoint, and the piece ends with a rousing coda.
Symphony No. 5 in D minor, Op. 47
Shostakovich completed this work for the orchestra in July 1937. It was his 5th Symphony and was well received with a standin…