Program Notes

Festive Overture

Dmitri Shostakovich, composer

Dmitri Shostakovich composed Festive Overture in 1954, in a period between Symphony No. 10 and the Violin Concerto. Its American premier was given by Maurice Abravanel and the Utah Symphony Orchestra in 1955. In 1956, the New York Philharmonic under Dmitri Mitropoulis presented the overture in Carnegie Hall. The Russian band version of the overture was released in 1958 and utilized the standard instrumentation of the Russian Military band, i.e. a complete orchestra wind, brass and percussion section plus a family of saxhorns. This transcription has been scored for the instrumentation of the American symphonic band by Donald Hunsberger.

—published score

INDEX