Two Pieces for String Octet: Prelude and Scherzo
(1924/25) (Zwei Stücke für Streichoktett) 11for string octet or string orchestra
Duration: 12'
Territory
This work is available from Boosey & Hawkes
/ Sikorski for the UK, British Commonwealth (excluding Canada), Republic of Ireland, Germany, Switzerland, Denmark, Iceland, Norway, Sweden, Netherlands, Spain, Portugal, Greece, Turkey, Israel.
World Premiere
09/01/1927
Stanislavsy Art Theatre Mozart Hall, Moscow
Gliere & Stradivari Quartets
Repertoire Note
One of the strangest of Shostakovich’s early work is this short octet for strings. Based on the famous Mendelssohn combination of a double string quartet, it consists of a wistful prelude and a fleeting scherzo. The piece is dedicated to the memory of a young friend of the composer, a promising poet, who had died unexpectedly.
Note by Gerard McBurney
