Upcoming performances
No upcoming performances scheduled.
About the work
Composed in 1947-48 at the height of the Zhdanov campaign, locked in a drawer, and premiered by David Oistrakh only in 1955. Its four movements form a suppressed drama: a nocturne of dark undercurrents, a scherzo where the DSCH monogram first appears, a passacaglia of tread-like weight, then a five-minute cadenza that climbs from monologue to scream and crashes straight into the ferocious burlesque finale. Oistrakh called the solo part 'a Shakespearean role'.
Recordings worth hearing
Oistrakh / Mitropoulos / New York Philharmonic
HistoricalSony Classical · 1956
The dedicatee, recorded soon after the concerto was allowed out. The third-movement passacaglia and the cadenza that grows out of it are the work's centre of gravity, and Oistrakh plays them with almost no vibrato.
Sarah Chang / Rattle / Berlin Philharmonic
ModernEMI Classics · 2006
Unusually among modern recordings, the Nocturne is allowed to stay cold rather than warmed up by tone. Worth hearing against Oistrakh.
More by Shostakovich
- Symphony No. 10 in E minor, Op. 93Sep 13, 2026
- Symphony No. 5 in D minor, Op. 47Sep 22, 2026
- String Quartet No. 3 in F major, Op. 73Oct 16, 2026
- Concertino for Two PianosOp. 94Oct 24, 2026
- Suite for Two Pianos, Op. 6Nov 7, 2026
- Chamber Symphony, Op. 110a (arr. Barshai)Nov 13, 2026
- Violoncello Concerto No. 2 in G major, Op. 126Nov 13, 2026
- Piano Quintet in G minor, Op. 57Dec 11, 2026
Cite this page
“Violin Concerto No. 1 in A minor, Op. 77.” Shanghai Concerts, https://shanghaiconcerts.com/en/works/shostakovich-violin-concerto-no-1-in-a-minor-op-77.