p As Dmitry Shostakovich, completed his post-graduate course at the Leningrad Conservatoire, his creative work became even more intensive, with the main stress failing on his music for the theatre and cinema. Although the composer had turned down a permanent post at the Meyerhold theatre, he did not lose touch with it. That winter, on Meyerhold’s suggestion, he wrote music for a production of Vladimir Mayakovsky’s play The Bed-Bug (the premiere was on 13 February). The composer met Mayakovsky himself, who appeared to be satisfied with the music for the play.

p At about the same time, Shostakovich was beginning to take an active interest in the Leningrad Young Workers Theatre, through which he tried to contribute to the rejuvenation of the traditional theatrical style. This aim was realised in several works, the first of which was the music for Bezymensky’s The Shot, successfully premiered on 14 December. In this connection, the magazine Zhizn Iskusstva published an article written jointly by Shostakovich and others involved in the show, in which they set forth the new principles and devices employed in the production.

p On 20 February Shostakovich finished the music to accompany Kozintsev and Trauberg’s film New Babylon, and a month later the film was released. The directors and composer did not entirely succeed in their original plan, however: the cinema orchestras could not cope with such a difficult score. The music was therefore played in its entirety only in one cinema, where the orchestra was conducted by F. Krish. Shostakovich’s interest in the problems of cinema music can also be seen in his address to a conference on the work of the cinema, published in the journal Sovetsky Ekran.

p In the spring the composer wrote two additional numbers for the Maly Opera House”s production of Erwin Dressel’s Columbus (entr’acte and finale). On 16 June the premiere of the opera The Nose - at first in a concert version - took place on the same stage.

p In the second half of the year Shostakovich devoid himself enthusiastically to two important new compositions. He wrote his Third May Day Symphony, using poetry by Semyon Kirsanov, and began a ballet, The Golden Age, commissioned by the State Theatre Board (based on a libretto by the film producer A. Ivanovsky, originally called Dynamiad).

p Also in 1929, Shostakovich*s fame was spread further when Nikolai Malko included two of his works-the First Symphony and the suite from The Nose-wi the programme of a concert tour of South America.

p ...It is time to take cinema music properly in hand, to get rid of sloppy, unartistic vamping, and thoroughly clean up the Augean stables there...

p ...The only real solution is to write special music for each film, as is being done for more or less the first time, if I am not mistaken-with New Babylon...

p ...When composing the music for New Babylon I aimed not to illustrate every individual episode, but to suit the music to the main episode in any sequence.

p For example, at the end of Part Two the most important episode is the 23 attack of the German cavalry on Paris. The scene ends with a deserted restaurant; utter silence. But despite the fact that the cavalry is no longer on the screen, the cavalry theme is still there, reminding the audience of the approaching threat.

p A similar principle was followed in Part Seven, where a soldier comes into a restaurant in which members of the bourgeoisie are making merry after the defeat of the Commune. Here the music, despite the merriment in the restaurant, is determined by the tragic emotions of the soldier, looking for his loved one who has been sentenced to death.

p The principle of contrast is widely used. For example, the soldier (a Royalist) who encounters his beloved (a Communard) on the barricades falls into deep despair. But the music becomes more and more triumphant, finally turning into an exhilarating, almost bawdy waltz, reflecting the victory of the Royalists over the Communards.

p An interesting device is used at the start of Part Four, which shows an operetta being rehearsed. The music plays Hanon’s exercises, which take on different nuances depending on the action: sometimes they sound jolly, sometimes languid, sometimes menacing.

p Much use is made of dances of that period (waltz, cancan) and melodies from Offenbach’s operettas. Some French popular and revolutionary songs (fa Ira, Carmagnole) can also be heard.

p Based on a wide variety of musical sources, the music maintains an unbroken symphonic tone throughout. Its basic function is to suit the tempo and rhythm of the picture and make the impressions it produces more lasting.

Bearing in mind its novelty and unusualness (especially for cinema music hitherto), I tried to make the music dynamic and convey the passions of the film.’

The ’external technique’ of the Young Workers Theatre actor is not limited to movement and words. He also has to learn to play musical instruments. Significantly, in The Shot, the appearance of the ‘bosses’ is marked by a deafening march played by a brass band, whose instruments are played by the actors. Similarly, the appearance on stage of the three secretaries requires the actors to play balalaikas. Finally, in the scene of the meeting, members of the orchestra go up on stage and are used as actors. The transformation of musician into actor and of actor into musician signifies the increasing musical saturation of drama.^^2^^