Shostakovich: Works

Waltz 2 (in C minor and E-flat major) is a movement from The Suite for Variety Orchestra (post-1956), an orchestral suite in eight movements by Dmitri Shostakovich. The Suite was recorded by Riccardo Chailly conducting the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra in 1991, (but erroneously identified as the Jazz Suite No. 2) and released on a disc entitled Shostakovich: The Jazz Album (Decca 33702). Chailly's recording of the Waltz 2 movement was used on the soundtrack to the 1999 Stanley Kubrick movie Eyes Wide Shut, as the opening title and closing credit theme; and was also used in the A&E television-series A Nero Wolfe Mystery. Waltz 2 has appeared in advertisements for Sprint (mobile-phone company) and Heineken (Dutch brewery).

Dmitri Shostakovich (1906 - 1975) was a Soviet Russian composer and pianist, and a major figure in 20th-century music. After a period influenced by Sergei Prokofiev and Igor Stravinsky, Shostakovich developed a hybrid style, juxtaposing a wide variety of trends, including the neo-classical style (showing the influence of Stravinsky) and post-Romanticism style (after Gustav Mahler). Sharp contrasts and grotesque elements appear in much of his music.

Shostakovich's orchestral works include fifteen symphonies and six concerti. His chamber output includes fifteen string quartets, a piano quintet, two piano trios, and two pieces for string octet. His piano works include two solo sonatas, an early set of preludes, and a later set of twenty-four preludes and fugues. Other works include three operas, several song cycles, ballets, and a substantial quantity of movie music.

Shostakovich had a complex and difficult relationship with the Soviet government. Many people believe that he used music as a kind of covert dissidence against the Soviet government. Nevertheless, he did receive accolades and state awards.