Shostakovich: Piano Quintet, Op.57

Introduction

The Piano Quintet in G Minor, opus 57, by Dmitri Shostakovich is one of his best-known chamber works. Like most piano quintets, it is written for piano and string quartet (two violins, viola and cello).

Shostakovich began work on the piece in the summer of 1940 and completed it on September 14. It was written for the Beethoven Quartet, as were most of his string quartets, and premiered by them with Shostakovich himself at the piano on November 23, 1940 at the Moscow Conservatory, to great success. In 1941, it was awarded the Stalin Prize.

A typical performance of the quintet runs slightly more than 30 minutes.

Structure

The quintet is in five movements:

1. Prelude: Lento
2. Fugue: Adagio
3. Scherzo: Allegretto
4. Intermezzo: Lento
5. Finale: Allegretto