Symphony No. 6, Op. 54

• Composed in 1939, Symphony No. 6 in b minor unusually comprises three movements rather than the traditional four. Even more unusually, the first movement is a “Largo,” followed by two fast movements (“Allegro” and “Presto”).

 “The symphony is an effort to convey the mood of spring, joy and life.”

Shostakovich regarding his sixth symphony

• Despite this lighthearted description, listeners suspect a shadow lurking behind the symphony’s seemingly joyful exterior. The piece was written amid the heightened anxiety of Stalin’s political regime. Many of Shostakovich’s artistic contemporaries and friends had fallen victim. Therefore, the symphony appears to have a double meaning, one to seemingly appease the Soviet regime and one revealing a thinly disguised, satirical nightmare.
• In interviews preceding the creation of the sixth symphony, Shostakovich said that he intended the work to be a musical memorial celebrating Lenin. However, no reference to Lenin appeared in the final score. The reception of the piece was consequently one of confusion.
• Since its premiere, Symphony No. 6 has been largely overshadowed by the composer’s fifth and seventh symphonies.¹

1. Maya Pritsker, “Symphony No. 6 in B minor, Op. 54 (1939),” American Symphony Orchestra (2003), accessed October 31, 2022, https://americansymphony.org/concert-notes/symphony-no-6-in-b-minor-op-54-1939/.