Shostakovich, Festive Overture

I have decided to listen to more Shostakovich for awhile. No, it’s not exactly my Lenten discipline. After all, I really like Shostakovich, so it doesn’t involve any sacrifice. I used to enjoy a steady diet of his music, collecting and learning all of his symphonies and frequently playing some of his works in orchestra and band. Hints of Shostakovich often turned up in my own student compositions.

But, for some reason, Shostakovich has not been a significant part of my listening routine for many years. Not totally absent, but neglected. Listening seems to come in phases, or maybe more accurately it comes in a series of obsessions. I find it more useful to immerse myself in a particular composer or genre, and that often crowds out other things. But something recently caused me to think about Shostakovich, so I have decided to go back through his works to recapture all that attracted me in my youth. As I listen to some things I have not heard in many years, it amazes me how vivid and detailed one’s musical memory can be.

I probably knew the Festive Overture better than any other. It was written in 1947 and originally scored for orchestra. Donald Hunsberger, who served as conductor of the Eastman Wind Ensemble, arranged it for concert band in 1965, and that version became a mainstay of the band repertoire. We played it in high school, college, and in my Army band days. We may have played it more often than anything else not written by Sousa. And why not? It’s a crowd-pleaser and fun to play. The horn solo (2:26) still remains in my finger memory.