The Sun Shines Over Our Motherland
The Sun Shines Over Our Motherland (Russian: Над Родиной нашей солнце сияет), Op.90 is a cantata composed in 1952 by Dimitri Shostakovich, based on a text by Yevgeny Dolmatovsky. Originally titled Cantata About the Party,[citation needed] it was commissioned to celebrate the 35th anniversary of the October Revolution. In it, the sun is a metaphor for the achievement of the Soviet people under the leadership of the Communist Party. It begins with a lyrical section for boys' chorus and woodwind, followed by a more energetic section for the men's voices.
Performance and Recording History
[edit]It was premiered by the USSR Symphony Orchestra and Choir with the Moscow Choir School Boys' Choir under Konstantin Ivanov at the Bolshoi Hall of the Moscow Conservatoire on 6 November 1952. It was recorded in mono with the same forces under Alexander Yurlov after a public concert ten years later. It was re-recorded with the Moscow Philharmonic Orchestra under Kirill Kondrashin in 1965 for Melodiya Records. In the West, the Kondrashin appeared in an HMV record of 1970, and again in a box of Shostakovich symphonies mainly under the direction of Kondrashin (1975).[1]
More recently, it was recorded by Mikhail Jurowski with the Kölner Rundfunk-Symphonie-Orchester on Capriccio Records, and a live recording of Paavo Järvi with the Estonian National Symphony Orchestra and the Estonian Concert Choir on Erato Records.
Because of the nature of the text, it remains a highly controversial work to perform. Paavo Jarvi's performance of the work in 2011 caused outrage amongst many in Estonia, to the point of him receiving death threats.[2]
Lyrics
[edit]The original lyrics begin:
- Над Родиной нашей, страной созиданья, солнце сияет. Великие стройки, высотные зданья оно озаряет.[3]
(Transliterated as: Over our homeland, our country of birth, the sun shines. Great buildings and monuments, it illuminates.)
Recordings
[edit]- USSR Symphony Orchestra, Alexander Yurlov (Original recording 1961, Russian Disc 1994)
- Moscow Philharmonic Orchestra, Kirill Kondrashin (Original recording 1967, Melodiya)
- Kölner Rundfunks-Symphonie-Orchester, Mikhail Jurowski (Capriccio, 1999)
- Shostakovich: Cantatas - Estonian Concert Choir, ENSO Paavo Järvi (Erato 2015)[4][5]
References
[edit]- ^ Hulme, Derek (1982) Shostakovich Catalogue, Kyle and Glen Music, p. 121-2
- ^ "Putting the Stalin in Shostakovich: Pro-Soviet cantatas cause outrage". TheGuardian.com. 15 May 2015.
- ^ Estonian radio lyrics to version performed by Paavo Jarvi in 2012, with Estonian translation
- ^ Wall Street Journal - May 12 2015 New Shostakovich Recordings Highlight Composer’s Ambiguity "Estonian conductor Paavo Järvi on why he was eager to perform Shostakovich works criticized for their apparent support for Stalin "
- ^ "Putting the Stalin in Shostakovich: Pro-Soviet cantatas cause outrage". TheGuardian.com. 15 May 2015.
