''The Unforgettable Year 1919'' (russian: Незабываемый 1919 год, Nezabyvaemyy 1919 god), Op. 89a, is a suite of music adapted from the score written by

Dmitri Shostakovich Dmitri Dmitriyevich Shostakovich, , group=n (9 August 1975) was a Soviet-era Russian composer and pianist who became internationally known after the premiere of his Symphony No. 1 (Shostakovich), First Symphony in 1926 and was regarded throug ...

for the 1951 film of the same name directed by

Mikheil Chiaureli Mikheil Chiaureli ( ka, მიხეილ ჭიაურელი, russian: Михаил Эдишерович Чиаурели, 6 February 1894 – 31 October 1974) was a Soviet Georgian actor, film director and screenwriter. He directed 25 ...

. The suite was arranged from the film score by Lev Atovmyan (1901-1973) in 1954.Adriano (n.d.) The suite has seven movements: *I. Introduction *II. Romance (Meeting of Shibayev with Katya) *III. Scene from the Sea Battle *IV. Scherzo *V. The Assault on Krasnaya Gorka *VI. Intermezzo *VII. Finale It is scored for full orchestra. The fifth movement has been described as "a mini-piano concerto, in the style of, but even more Hollywood-like than, Addinsell's ''

Warsaw Concerto The ''Warsaw Concerto'' is a short work for piano and orchestra by Richard Addinsell, written for the 1941 British film '' Dangerous Moonlight'', which is about the Polish struggle against the 1939 invasion by Nazi Germany. In performance it norma ...

'' of 1941." This movement describes the attack on the

Krasnaya Gorka fort Krasnaya Gorka (Красная Горка meaning Red Hill) is a coastal artillery fortress in Lomonosovsky District, Leningrad Oblast, Russia. It is located on the southern shore of the Gulf of Finland, opposite Kotlin Island and the Baltic Flee ...

outside

St. Petersburg Saint Petersburg ( rus, links=no, Санкт-Петербург, a=Ru-Sankt Peterburg Leningrad Petrograd Piter.ogg, r=Sankt-Peterburg, p=ˈsankt pʲɪtʲɪrˈburk), formerly known as Petrograd (1914–1924) and later Leningrad (1924–1991), i ...

. Through mistranslation, the movement is sometimes known as ''The Attack on Beautiful Gorky''. The music historian

Marina Frolova-Walker Marina Frolova-Walker FBA (russian: link=no, Марина Фролова-Уокер; born 1966) is a Russian-born British musicologist and music historian, who specialises in German Romanticism, Russian and Soviet music, and nationalism in m ...

comments that "it is indeed memorable music, although barely recognizable as Shostakovich and not even very appropriate to the on-screen action." The film was made in praise of

Joseph Stalin Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin (born Ioseb Besarionis dze Jughashvili; – 5 March 1953) was a Georgian revolutionary and Soviet political leader who led the Soviet Union from 1924 until his death in 1953. He held power as General Secreta ...

, who was portrayed (inaccurately) as having played a leading role in the events of the

Russian Civil War , date = October Revolution, 7 November 1917 – Yakut revolt, 16 June 1923{{Efn, The main phase ended on 25 October 1922. Revolt against the Bolsheviks continued Basmachi movement, in Central Asia and Tungus Republic, the Far East th ...

around St. Petersburg in 1919. In February 1953 Shostakovich's score for the film was being considered for a

Stalin Prize Stalin Prize may refer to: * The State Stalin Prize in science and engineering and in arts, awarded 1941 to 1954, later known as the USSR State Prize The USSR State Prize (russian: links=no, Государственная премия СССР, ...

, but he sought to withdraw the nomination. In any event Stalin's death in March 1953 meant that the prize awards were cancelled. Shostakovich himself had a low estimate of the film: according to

Solomon Volkov Solomon Moiseyevich Volkov (russian: Соломон Моисеевич Волков; born 17 April 1944) is a Russian journalist and musicologist. He is best known for ''Testimony'', which was published in 1979 following his emigration from the So ...

, he commented that Stalin "liked watching ''Unforgettable 1919'', where he rides by on the footboard of an armoured train with a sabre in his hand. This fantastic picture, naturally, had nothing to do with reality".Volkov (1995), pp. 254-255 The suite prepared by Atovmyan was first recorded by

Melodiya Melodiya ( rus, links=no, Мелодия, t=Melody) is a Russian (formerly Soviet) record label. It was the state-owned major record company of the Soviet Union. History Melodiya was established in 1964 as the "All-Union Gramophone Record Firm ...

in 1956 (omitting the fifth and sixth sections), with

Alexander Gauk Alexander Vassilievich Gauk (russian: Алекса́ндр Васи́льевич Га́ук; 30 March 1963) was a Russian/Soviet conductor and composer. Biography Alexander Gauk was born in Odessa in 1893. He recalled his first experience as h ...

as conductor.

References

Notes

Sources

* Adriano (n.d.).
The Unforgettable Year 1919"
in liner notes to

Naxos Records Naxos comprises numerous companies, divisions, imprints, and labels specializing in classical music but also audiobooks and other genres. The premier label is Naxos Records which focuses on classical music. Naxos Musical Group encompasses about 1 ...

recording 8.570238, accessed 31 December 2017 *Frolova-Walker, Marina (2016). ''Stalin's Music Prize''. New Haven and London: Yale University Press. *Volkov, Solomon, tr. A. W. Bouis (1995). ''Testimony: The Memoirs of Dmitri Shostakovich''. New York: Limelight Editions. {{DEFAULTSORT:Unforgettable Year 1919, The 1951 in music Film music Suites by Dmitri Shostakovich