ABSTRACT
Sandwiched between the massive structures of the first and third movements, this Moderato is both strikingly short and formally straightforward. Parallels between Dmitri Shostakovich's Moderato and Gustav Mahler's scherzo go further than the superficial similarity of their opening themes. One of the most striking aspects of Shostakovich's Moderato is that despite its obvious allegiance to Mahler, it lacks a comparably overt dramatization of musical characters. Its tone is introverted and subdued, and there is no 'positive' theme to counter its 'negative' mask-like flatness. One of the most important features of the Moderato is its complete rejection of 'normal' harmonic processes. Shostakovich does use similar gestures of collapse, but very sparingly: the resultant static effect is like a pale shadow of Mahler's scherzo. The devices Shostakovich uses to cloud the fundamental diatonicism of B create a static, hazy impression: the glissando within the first statement reinforces its ghostly quality.
