Symphony No. 14
Dmitri Shostakovich
Work background
Researched classical background
Shostakovich's Fourteenth sets eleven poems concerning death for soprano, bass, strings and percussion. The texts come from Lorca, Apollinaire, Kuchelbecker and Rilke in Russian translation. Individual songs vary in length and character, while the restricted instrumental palette creates continuity across the sequence. Its vocal organization makes it close to an orchestral song cycle as well as a symphony.
Inspiration and creative background
The selected poems explicitly confront mortality and the circumstances of death.
Boosey & Hawkes: Shostakovich Fourteenth Symphony
1969 composition, eleven poems and mortality theme | Reviewed 2026-10-19
A listening guide
Listen for recurring percussion colours across the contrasting poems.
Listening suggestions are editorial guides to the music.
Forces: Soprano, bass, string orchestra and percussion
Composition: 1969
This entry describes the musical work or cycle. Composition, premiere and publication dates describe different events. Performers and recordings can be explored through the external listening search.
Boosey & Hawkes: Shostakovich Fourteenth Symphony
1969 composition, eleven poems and mortality theme | Reviewed 2026-10-19
Boosey & Hawkes / Sikorski: Shostakovich chronological work list
Work dates, opuses, keys, voices and revision information | Reviewed 2026-10-19
Sources for this work
Boosey & Hawkes: Shostakovich Fourteenth Symphony
1969 composition, eleven poems and mortality theme | Reviewed 2026-10-19
Boosey & Hawkes / Sikorski: Shostakovich chronological work list
Work dates, opuses, keys, voices and revision information | Reviewed 2026-10-19
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1960-2025. Each year contains 150 selections.