I’ve been listening to this, this morning – while having my morning coffee & gazing out at the wind & rain – very soothing….
But it’s not a sound palette that I associate with Shostakovich in the 1950s – sounds more like Rachmaninov, soothing, romantic, mildly melancholic…
I know Shostakovich mostly through the quartets, and some of the symphonies – the slow movements have a tension to them. At the risk of cliché, there is sometimes a feeling of stillness, waiting for the knock at the door (not an accident that the eighth quartet was used to soundtrack Radio 4’s version of Smiley’s People).
Any love for this out there? Anyone care to share a favourite slow movement, to soundtrack being inside on a wild day?
Grab a mug of good tea, pull up a chair and stoke the fire. Make yourself comfortable and look out at the elements.
if it’s slow you’re after…