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Symphony no. 12 (The Year of 1917), op. 112
Dmitri Shostakovich

Dmitri Dmitriyevich Shostakovich, one of the Soviet Union’s greatest composers, was born in Saint Petersburg on September 12, 1906 and died in Moscow on August 9, 1975. Although he composed in a wide variety of genres, he is best known for his fifteen symphonies, works that stand among the finest examples of the genre from the mid-twentieth century. His Symphony no. 12, a work dedicated to the memory of Vladimir Lenin, was composed between 1960 and 1961 and first performed in October 1961 by the Leningrad under the baton of Yevgeny Mravinksy. It is scored for 3 flutes (3rd doubling on piccolo), 3 oboes, 3 clarinets, 3 bassoons (3rd doubling contrabassoon), 4 horns, 3 trumpets, 3 trombones, tuba, (off-stage brass: 4 horns, 3 trumpets, 3 trombones), timpani, percussion, and strings.


The era following the death of Joseph Stalin in 1953 was a time of transition for Dmitri Shostakovich. It has been surmised that the composer’s Tenth Symphony represents, especially in its ferocious second movement, a savage caricature of “Uncle Joe.” The “thaw” under the leadership of Nikita Khrushchev, a politician who renounced at least some of Stalin’s more severe policies, paved the way for Shostakovich to resuscitate some of his earlier works that had been denounced by Soviet officialdom. In August of 1954 he was declared the “People’s Artist of the USSR.” Two years later he received the “Order of Lenin.” A few years later, Shostakovich was allowed to travel abroad, visiting England (where he met Benjamin Britten) and, in November 1959, the United States. Some of the composer’s finest works appeared in those years—the autobiographical Eighth String Quartet, and the First Cello Concerto, a work commissioned by the great virtuoso, Mstislav Rostropovich. Indeed, the premiere recording of the Cello Concerto was made with Rostropovich joining Eugene Ormandy and the Philadelphia Orchestra, all under the supervision of the composer. Even as the politburo activated five-year plans and Premiere Khrushchev was threatening to “bury” the West, Shostakovich became the artistic poster boy of a seemingly resurgent Soviet culture. But lying underneath the surface lay the composer’s musical signature, four notes derived from the German nomenclature for the initials D – S (=E-flat) – C – H (=B-natural), i.e., D. SCHostakovich. He uses this motto in the Tenth Symphony, Eighth Quartet, and Cello Concerto, and whenever this motto appears, the composer sends out a warning that things are not as well as they may seem. Ever nervous that officialdom might turn against him, as it had done in the 1930s, Shostakovich took a risk by using the motto so prominently in high profile compositions.


Perhaps by way of demonstrating his appreciation for his new-found artistic freedom, or perhaps as a ruse to keep officialdom happy, Shostakovich authored a series of works in the late 1950s in various genres, including film music, which gave the impression of his whole-hearted endorsement of “socialist realism.” It was from this milieu that the Eleventh and Twelfth Symphonies emerged. Symphony no. 11 (“The Year 1905”) and Symphony no. 12 (“The Year 1917”) represented a pair that reflected the origins of the Soviet Revolution (January of 1905 was marked by the “Bloody Sunday” massacre of protestors in St. Petersburg). They also mirror each other structurally by having titled movements that are played without any pause between their movements. Ostensibly, the Symphony no. 12, is a portrait of the founder of the Revolution and the Soviet Union’s first Premier, Vladimir Lenin (1870-1924). The titles of the first two movements reflect important markers in Lenin’s life, although the music can’t truly be said to be biographical in nature. The first movement, “Revolutionary Petrograd,” quotes two primary themes that continue to resonate throughout the entire work and, according to the composer’s plans, a representation of Lenin’s arrival in Petrograd and his meeting of its working-class citizens. It begins with a mournful theme in the cellos and basses that is derived from a revolutionary folk song whose words read “shame on you tyrants.” A second important theme is a Polish song, “The Warsaw March” (also used in the Eleventh Symphony). Much of the main body of this movement, however, is brutally loud and incredibly fast—perhaps a reflection of the angry mood of the proletariat. The second movement represents “Razliv,” the place near Petrograd where Lenin had his headquarters. The composer quotes an earlier work, “Funeral March for the Victims of the Revolution.” The brief third movement, “Aurora,” is named for the cruiser that fired the first salvo at the Tsar’s Winter Palace, and serves as a bridge to the finale, entitled “The Dawn of Humanity,” in which the mournful themes heard near the start of the symphony are transformed into a forced jubilation.


As is the case with many of Shostakovich’s works, conflicting narratives exist that have generated controversy about the composer’s sincerity in writing works that express some ideal of “socialist realism.” The often biting sarcasm of the music, often quite ferocious as we hear in many episodes of the Twelfth Symphony, belie any notion that the work is an unequivocal tribute to Lenin. Perhaps we will never know the truth about what the composer had in mind. What we do know is that Shostakovich, in his fifteen symphonies, emerged as the most compelling exponent of the genre in the often turbulent twentieth century.


Program Note by David B. Levy, © 2014/2026

Symphony no. 12 (The Year of 1917), op. 112
Dmitri Shostakovich

Dmitri Dmitriyevich Shostakovich, one of the Soviet Union’s greatest composers, was born in Saint Petersburg on September 12, 1906 and died in Moscow on August 9, 1975. Although he composed in a wide variety of genres, he is best known for his fifteen symphonies, works that stand among the finest examples of the genre from the mid-twentieth century. His Symphony no. 12, a work dedicated to the memory of Vladimir Lenin, was composed between 1960 and 1961 and first performed in October 1961 by the Leningrad under the baton of Yevgeny Mravinksy. It is scored for 3 flutes (3rd doubling on piccolo), 3 oboes, 3 clarinets, 3 bassoons (3rd doubling contrabassoon), 4 horns, 3 trumpets, 3 trombones, tuba, (off-stage brass: 4 horns, 3 trumpets, 3 trombones), timpani, percussion, and strings.


The era following the death of Joseph Stalin in 1953 was a time of transition for Dmitri Shostakovich. It has been surmised that the composer’s Tenth Symphony represents, especially in its ferocious second movement, a savage caricature of “Uncle Joe.” The “thaw” under the leadership of Nikita Khrushchev, a politician who renounced at least some of Stalin’s more severe policies, paved the way for Shostakovich to resuscitate some of his earlier works that had been denounced by Soviet officialdom. In August of 1954 he was declared the “People’s Artist of the USSR.” Two years later he received the “Order of Lenin.” A few years later, Shostakovich was allowed to travel abroad, visiting England (where he met Benjamin Britten) and, in November 1959, the United States. Some of the composer’s finest works appeared in those years—the autobiographical Eighth String Quartet, and the First Cello Concerto, a work commissioned by the great virtuoso, Mstislav Rostropovich. Indeed, the premiere recording of the Cello Concerto was made with Rostropovich joining Eugene Ormandy and the Philadelphia Orchestra, all under the supervision of the composer. Even as the politburo activated five-year plans and Premiere Khrushchev was threatening to “bury” the West, Shostakovich became the artistic poster boy of a seemingly resurgent Soviet culture. But lying underneath the surface lay the composer’s musical signature, four notes derived from the German nomenclature for the initials D – S (=E-flat) – C – H (=B-natural), i.e., D. SCHostakovich. He uses this motto in the Tenth Symphony, Eighth Quartet, and Cello Concerto, and whenever this motto appears, the composer sends out a warning that things are not as well as they may seem. Ever nervous that officialdom might turn against him, as it had done in the 1930s, Shostakovich took a risk by using the motto so prominently in high profile compositions.


Perhaps by way of demonstrating his appreciation for his new-found artistic freedom, or perhaps as a ruse to keep officialdom happy, Shostakovich authored a series of works in the late 1950s in various genres, including film music, which gave the impression of his whole-hearted endorsement of “socialist realism.” It was from this milieu that the Eleventh and Twelfth Symphonies emerged. Symphony no. 11 (“The Year 1905”) and Symphony no. 12 (“The Year 1917”) represented a pair that reflected the origins of the Soviet Revolution (January of 1905 was marked by the “Bloody Sunday” massacre of protestors in St. Petersburg). They also mirror each other structurally by having titled movements that are played without any pause between their movements. Ostensibly, the Symphony no. 12, is a portrait of the founder of the Revolution and the Soviet Union’s first Premier, Vladimir Lenin (1870-1924). The titles of the first two movements reflect important markers in Lenin’s life, although the music can’t truly be said to be biographical in nature. The first movement, “Revolutionary Petrograd,” quotes two primary themes that continue to resonate throughout the entire work and, according to the composer’s plans, a representation of Lenin’s arrival in Petrograd and his meeting of its working-class citizens. It begins with a mournful theme in the cellos and basses that is derived from a revolutionary folk song whose words read “shame on you tyrants.” A second important theme is a Polish song, “The Warsaw March” (also used in the Eleventh Symphony). Much of the main body of this movement, however, is brutally loud and incredibly fast—perhaps a reflection of the angry mood of the proletariat. The second movement represents “Razliv,” the place near Petrograd where Lenin had his headquarters. The composer quotes an earlier work, “Funeral March for the Victims of the Revolution.” The brief third movement, “Aurora,” is named for the cruiser that fired the first salvo at the Tsar’s Winter Palace, and serves as a bridge to the finale, entitled “The Dawn of Humanity,” in which the mournful themes heard near the start of the symphony are transformed into a forced jubilation.


As is the case with many of Shostakovich’s works, conflicting narratives exist that have generated controversy about the composer’s sincerity in writing works that express some ideal of “socialist realism.” The often biting sarcasm of the music, often quite ferocious as we hear in many episodes of the Twelfth Symphony, belie any notion that the work is an unequivocal tribute to Lenin. Perhaps we will never know the truth about what the composer had in mind. What we do know is that Shostakovich, in his fifteen symphonies, emerged as the most compelling exponent of the genre in the often turbulent twentieth century.


Program Note by David B. Levy, © 2014/2026