Concertino (for two pianos), Op. 94 (1954)
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Dedicated to Maxim Dmitrievich Shostakovich

Dmitri Shostakovich composed his Concertino for Two Pianos in December 1953 for his sixteen-year-old son Maxim. The work was premiered on November 8, 1954, at the Moscow Conservatory by Maxim Shostakovich and fellow student Alla Maloletkova. An alternative date of January 20, 1954, is sometimes cited, but scholar Laurel Fay has found no evidence of a performance on that day; a performance did take place on January 20, 1955. The November concert was dedicated to Shostakovich’s music and included the song cycle From Jewish Poetry as well as the Piano Quintet, with the composer himself at the piano. Shostakovich would later compose his Second Piano Concerto in 1957, also for his son.

The Concertino is written in a single movement. It opens with an Adagio, characterized by serious unison octaves alternating with hymn-like passages. This gives way to an energetic Allegretto, performed at a very fast tempo in the composer’s recording with his son for Monitor Records. The lively second theme, reminiscent of Shostakovich’s “circus music” style, suggests a possible private reference. The development of both themes remains animated, leading to a shimmering climax. The return of the hymn-like material over a bass tremolo is particularly striking, followed by a subtle reintroduction of the main theme and the spirited second theme. In a dramatic gesture, Shostakovich briefly recalls the ideas from the opening Adagio before the Allegretto’s main theme drives the work to its conclusion.

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One movement: Adagio – Allegretto – Allegro