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      • Dmitri Shostakovich

      • Four Verses of Captain Lebyadkin, Op. 146 (1974)

      • G Schirmer Inc (USA, Canada and Mexico only)
        Le Chant Du Monde (France, Belgium, Luxemburg, Andorra, French speaking African countries)

      G Schirmer is the publisher of the work in the USA, Canada and Mexico only. Le Chant du Monde is the publisher of the work in France, Belgium, Luxemburg, Andorra, French speaking African countries.

      • pf
      • Bass
      • 10 min
      • Fyodor Dostoyevsky from The Devils
      • Russian

      Programme Note

      Texts by Fyodor Dostoyevsky from ‘The Devils’

      The Four Verses of Captain Lebyadkin is a song cycle composed in 1974 by Dmitri Shostakovich, and his final vocal work. The texts are drawn from Demons by Fyodor Dostoyevsky, focusing on the character of Captain Lebyadkin, a grotesque and pseudo-poetic figure whose verses the composer selected and assembled for the cycle.

      Shostakovich, a lifelong admirer of Dostoyevsky, turned to this material late in life while convalescing, shaping a work that juxtaposes parody and unease. The ambivalent nature of Lebyadkin—both absurd and disturbing—informs the expressive world of the cycle.

      The work was premiered on 10 May 1975 at the Moscow Conservatory by Yevgeny Nesterenko and Yevgeny Shenderovich. It was the last premiere of his own music attended by the composer. Reception at the time was restrained, though the piece has since been recognized for its striking and unsettling character.

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      1. The Love of Captain Lebyadkin (Allegretto)
      2. The Cockroach (Moderato)
      3. The Charity Ball for the Governesses (Allegretto)
      4. A Pure Soul (Allegretto)