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Dmitri Shostakovich (1906-1975)
Concerto for Violin No. 2 in C-sharp Minor
Composed: 1967
Premiered: 1967, Moscow
Duration: 33 minutes

This is the last of Shostakovich’s six concertos (two each for piano, violin, and cello). He composed the first violin concerto in 1947, but political pressures delayed the premiere until 1955. Twelve years passed before the appearance of Concerto No. 2. In the interim, Shostakovich had composed numerous major scores, including Symphonies 11, 12, and 13. His health had already been perilous for several years when he suffered a major heart attack in 1966. 

Also, the physical act of composing, which had previously been easy for him, became difficult and draining. His physical trials continued when he suffered a broken leg in early September 1967, which kept him from attending this concerto’s debut. 

Following a run-through and some fine-tuning, the premiere took place in late September. The concerto was received warmly, both in the USSR and during the tours that soloist David Oistrakh made with it, to England and America, shortly thereafter.  

Only a year had passed since the appearance of the second cello concerto. In its spare emotions and lean textures, the second violin concerto resembles it more closely than it does the earlier violin concerto. Shostakovich characterized the new violin piece as less “symphonic” than the first. “In the new concerto,” he wrote, “virtually everything is set out by the solo violin, everything is concentrated in its part and the orchestra accompanies…” 

Program Note by Don Anderson © 2023 

Dmitri Shostakovich (1906-1975)
Concerto for Violin No. 2 in C-sharp Minor
Composed: 1967
Premiered: 1967, Moscow
Duration: 33 minutes

This is the last of Shostakovich’s six concertos (two each for piano, violin, and cello). He composed the first violin concerto in 1947, but political pressures delayed the premiere until 1955. Twelve years passed before the appearance of Concerto No. 2. In the interim, Shostakovich had composed numerous major scores, including Symphonies 11, 12, and 13. His health had already been perilous for several years when he suffered a major heart attack in 1966. 

Also, the physical act of composing, which had previously been easy for him, became difficult and draining. His physical trials continued when he suffered a broken leg in early September 1967, which kept him from attending this concerto’s debut. 

Following a run-through and some fine-tuning, the premiere took place in late September. The concerto was received warmly, both in the USSR and during the tours that soloist David Oistrakh made with it, to England and America, shortly thereafter.  

Only a year had passed since the appearance of the second cello concerto. In its spare emotions and lean textures, the second violin concerto resembles it more closely than it does the earlier violin concerto. Shostakovich characterized the new violin piece as less “symphonic” than the first. “In the new concerto,” he wrote, “virtually everything is set out by the solo violin, everything is concentrated in its part and the orchestra accompanies…” 

Program Note by Don Anderson © 2023