[Nothingburger]

It’s interesting you mentioned that waltz.

I often wonder how Shostakovich’s art would have matured had he been fortunate enough to defect to the West.

We usually associate Shostakovich with intense music like his 15 string quartets, reflecting the anguish he experienced practicing his art while staying one step ahead of the Soviet secret police.

But the waltz you mentioned and other pieces like the Festival Overture — a great favorite of mine — show that Shostakovich could compose in a variety of styles.

You know the legend about the “Tahiti Trot,” the master’s superb arrangement of Vincent Youman’s “Tea for Two.” Supposedly, Shostakovich knocked it out in less than an hour on a friendly dare. Whether he pocketed a few rubles from the deal, I don’t know.

Perhaps if Shostakovich had defected he would have been a great success writing for the musical theater. He did score some Soviet movies, and did it quite well. But what a career Golden Age Hollywood might have given him — he could have given Max Steiner, Miklos Rosza, and Dmitri Tiomkin some serious competition.

[Jacquerie]

Thanks for the background. All I recall was my losing my breath long ago when I first listened to #2.