ABSTRACT
This chapter concentrates upon a particularly complex, and, revealing period within that relationship, presenting a snapshot of how energy can be used to shed light upon long-standing issues. It uses the principle of multi-dimensional energy as a lens through which to reassess differences between the Fourth and Fifth Symphonies, thereby attempting to reconsider the extent to which Shostakovich reinvented his musical language in later work. If the connection between form and content comes in part from the thematic organization of the Fourth and Fifth, then it is rendered most perceptible in the interaction between form and climactic shape. Orchestration and climactic shape are crucial here in the communication of formal eccentricities. The isolation of the development recapitulation as primary region for climactic activity is reinforced by Dmitri Dmitriyevich Shostakovich's orchestration. The proportions reflect that complexity, with different systems of proportional interaction for each musical dimension: symmetries largely dominate thematic structure; golden sections appear more frequently in climactic and tonal structures.
