| Six Poems by Marina Tsvetayeva | |
|---|---|
| Song cycle by Dmitri Shostakovich | |
 Shostakovich in June 1973 | |
| Opus | 143 |
| Text | Marina Tsvetayeva |
| Language | Russian |
| Composed | July 31, 1973 – August 7, 1973: Pärnu, Estonian SSR |
| Dedication | Irina Bogacheva |
| Published | 1974 |
| Publisher | Muzfond Muzyka G. Schirmer Edition Peters Zen-On DSCH Publishers |
| Duration | c. 20 minutes |
| Movements | 6 |
| Scoring | Contralto and piano or small orchestra |
| Premiere | |
| Date | Op. 143: October 30, 1973 Op. 143a: June 15, 1974 |
| Location | Op. 143: Large Hall of the Leningrad Philharmonia Leningrad, Russian SFSR Op. 143a: Large Hall of the Moscow Conservatory Moscow, Russian SFSR |
| Conductor | Op. 143a: Rudolf Barshai |
| Performers | Op. 143: Irina Bogacheva (mezzo-soprano) Sofiya Vakman (piano) Op. 143a: Irina Bogacheva (mezzo-soprano) Moscow Chamber Orchestra |
The Six Poems by Marina Tsvetayeva: Suite for Contralto and Piano (Russian: Шесть стихотворений Марины Цветаевой: Сюита для контральто и фортепиано, romanized: Shest stikhotvoreniy Mariny Tsvetayevoy: Syuita dlya kontralto i fortepiano),[1] Op. 143 is a song cycle by Dmitri Shostakovich. It was composed in 1973 and originally scored for contralto and piano. In 1974, the composer made an arrangement for contralto and chamber orchestra which he designated as Op. 143a.
Shostakovich first encountered the poetry of Marina Tsvetayeva in 1970 through a setting of her verses by his student, Boris Tishchenko. Eventually, this resulted in the Six Poems by Marina Tsvetayeva, which was composed in Pärnu, Estonian SSR, between July 31 and August 7, 1973. He conceived the work for the voice of Irina Bogacheva, but initially had difficulty in finding her, which caused him to consider engaging either Elena Obraztsova or Tamara Sinyavskaya as alternatives for the world premiere. He finally managed to secure Bogacheva in September. She and her longtime accompanist, Sofiya Vakman, performed the world premiere at the Large Hall of the Leningrad Philharmonia in Leningrad on October 30, 1973. Bogacheva also sang the premiere of the orchestral version of the work on June 15, 1974, with the Moscow Chamber Orchestra conducted by Rudolf Barshai.
Although the early reception of the Six Poems by Marina Tsvetayeva was marred by controversy ensuing from Shostakovich being a signatory to a denunciation of Andrei Sakharov published in late August 1973, the work was generally received positively. It gained the appreciation of Tsvetayeva's sister, Anastasia, who established a correspondence with the composer in 1975.
- ^ McBurney 2023, p. 289.