Evening star., 1942-07-19
Music
Shostakovich's
G reat Symphony to
Go on Air Today
Bv Alice EperSman.

This afternoon from Ais to 6
pm, a history making radio pro-
gram will be offered by the NBC
facilities when Shostakovich's new
Seventh symphony" will be broad
cast to the entire world. 1t Is a
history making event because the
work was written in Leningrad
while death and ruin rained ON the
city and the young composer sought
to incorporate in his music the
ideals, the suffering and the valor
of his people. It is unique IN that
the manuscript was transferred to
a microfllm, rushed out OF the Russo
German battle areas to Teheran,
Iran, from thence by automobile to
Cairo and by plane to New York
where it was printed on special
paper and turned over to Artur
Toscanini, who will conduct the
NBC Symphony Orchestra for the
broadcast.
All this breath-taking effort to
give the world great work at a
time when its meaning Is ripe Tor
everyone's consumption is without
parallel in the record of music. 1t
is part of the era, of the passionate
feeling and the modern inventions
that can eliminate time and space.
1t is a novelty, to be sure, but when
before has any other composers
work been considered of sufficient
importance to spend the same kind
of thought and money on presenting
it to the world or any type OF music
been given that amount of effort
and publicity? 1t proves many
things not the least of which is the
consideration now given the part
music plays in the lives OF the
people.
The symphony was first performed
on March 20 in Moscow and re-
ceived extraordinary acclaim. Ne
gotiations were Immediately begun
between the NBC, the composer and
the Society of Cultural Relations
for the broadcasting company's
rights to the premiere on this hem
isphere. This was readily obtained
and the exciting events of its jour-
ney to this country begun.
The 36-year-old composer has put
this dedication on his work, ut is
to our struggle against Fascism, to
our future victory, to my native CITY,
Leningrad, that I dedicate my Sew
enth Symphony"
In describing the circumstances
surrounding its creation he says;
"The bloody Hitlerite hordes were
pressing toward the city and it was
bombarded from the air and shelled
by enemy artillery. All Leningrad
residents rallied as one man and,
together with the valiant Red Army,
vowed to stop the arrogant foe. 1t
was in such days that I worked on
the symphony. I worked long hours,
intensely and swiftly. I wanted to
create the story of our days, our life,
our people, who are becoming heroes
and victors, who fight for the cause
of triumph over the enemy. Work
ing on the symphony I thought
about the greatness of our people
and its heroisnn, about humanity's
loftiest ideals, about the fine quail
ties of man, about our fair, land,
about humanism and beauty. We
are waging our grim struggle in the
name of all this"
The symphony is in four move
ments and takes approximately 90
minutes for performance. 1t has
many innovations in scoring and in
the use of instruments which in
many sections are augmented con-
siderably, as with the horns when
eight will be employed. 1t follows
the customary ideal of Shostako-
vich's writing in the honor it pays
to the fighters and civilians alike of
his country but, as Alexei Tostoy
wrote after it's premiere, "One part
of it is renaissance, resurrection
of beauty from ashes and ruins.
But the symphony's concluding part
takes you into the future, the mag
nificant world with its ideas and
passions. 1t is worth living for and
G~l.