Shostakovich 2025: discoveries for the anniversary year
Dmitri Shostakovich (1906-1975) has long been established as one of the most important and performed composers of the 20th century. Hardly a day goes by without his music being played in some corner of the world. Nevertheless, there are also works that rarely make it onto concert and theatre programmes and are ripe for rediscovery.
Boosey & Hawkes | Sikorski presents a hot-off-the-press new brochure of Shostakovich rarities especially suited for rediscovery in 2025, the commemorative year of the 50th anniversary of the composer's death. Works from Shostakovich's youth are included, as well as avant-garde theatre and ballet music, together with music for children. Not to be missed is the composer’s film music, which can also be experienced through the exciting combination of screenings of the respective film classics with live orchestral accompaniment. We also feature interesting orchestral arrangements of Shostakovich's works as well as pieces from our catalogue that relate directly to the composer and his output.
> View our special Shostakovich 2025 brochure (PDF)
In his preface to the brochure, Dr Bernd Feuchtner, President of the German Shostakovich Society, highlights the composer's light-hearted side, among other genres: "Shostakovich displayed wonderful irony, especially in his works most intended to entertain. The Procession of the Ghouls from the music to the cartoon The Tale of the Priest and his Servant Balda is hilarious, and caricatures like The Bureaucrat from the ballet The Bolt still hits the bull’s eye today... The internal and external violence unleashed by totalitarianism was abhorrent to Shostakovich – whether it came from the Nazis or from the communists. He was not allowed to say this in words, but he communicated it through his music. For the forms in which he expressed himself were those of the mutual European tradition, within which he felt himself first and foremost to be a European and only then a Russian."
With full work information, commentary and programming tips, selected compositions in the following genres are presented:
- Symphonic Miniatures
- Symphonic avant-garde
- Light music
- Opera
- Ballet
- Incidental music
- Film music
- Voice and orchestra
- For children
- Shostakovich as arranger
- Orchestral arrangements of chamber music
- Orchestral works by other composers with reference to Dmitri Shostakovich
SHOSTAKOVICH 2025
Discoveries and programme ideas for the Shostakovich Year
with a foreword by Bernd Feuchtner
Edited by Boosey & Hawkes | Sikorski
Published in March 2023
36 pages A4 in colour, with rare photographic material
> View the booklet as PDF
For further information on Dmitri Shostakovich visit:
> www.boosey.com/Shostakovich
View our constantly updated complete catalogue of Shostakovich works at:
> www.boosey.com/downloads/shostakovich_worklist.pdf
Please let us know of your Shostakovich anniversary plans and request perusal copies of rare repertoire by contacting us at:
> [email protected]
Photo: Dmitri Shostakovich in 1930
