This arrangement of an excerpt from a Shostakovich ballet will be encountered often by collaborative pianists who work closely with double bass studios. But the edition of this work most often encountered, from its erroneous title to the hastily composed piano accompaniment, leaves much to be desired. The work can be quite poignant and effective in a performance, but please use the resource below to educate yourself before the performance.
Editions - Lies Exposed, Here the Original Orchestration here! Slava Publishing: This printing, you might recognize it here, is the only one the Piano Handyman has encountered. The subtitle is from the ballet “Unforgettable 1919”. Where to start… First of all, it is from a Shostakovich ballet titled The Limpid Stream or The Bright Stream (Светлый ручей in the original Russian). Go to the 7:00 mark here. Unforgettable 1919 is a film for which Shostakovich composed the music, not a ballet! The Adagio under discussion does not appear anywhere in the soundtrack of this film. (Yes, the Piano Handyman checked!) As discussed below, the piano part, although playable, is unwieldy and inappropriate for performance with the double bass. A simple Google/Amazon search will reveal decisions that other collaborative pianists made in rearranging the part. Tactile Tips - Save yourself time! Collaborative pianists will find many ways to make this piano part more effective. Many YouTube postings as well as professional recordings demonstrate various solutions. The Piano Handyman recommends the following: Measure 35, Beats 3 and 4: After striking the bass note, ignore the left hand and choose select notes from the G-Major harmony in the right hand. Measures 36-43: Other than the bass notes, ignore the left hand (or only play select notes as can be delicately struck to darken the underlying harmony). With a right-hand voiced toward the upper register, a lush orchestral sound can be achieved while still leaving room for the sound of the double-bass to project through the interior of the texture. Measure 45-47: Ignore the upper note of the left hand downbeats. By eliminating the need to roll this chord, a more authoritative, confident sounds is achieved here. Click on the above headings to open information related to the composition! If you have any advice you are willing to contribute concerning this music, feel free to contact us. The inclusion of information is at the discretion of the PianoHandyman Committee and those who submit agree to relinquish any ownership claim and allow the information to become public knowledge. We are happy to list contributors on our Contributor’s List.