Korol’ Lir (King Lear) op. 137, by Dmitri Shostakovich, 1970

Korol’ Lir (King Lear) op. 137, by Dmitri Shostakovich, 1970.

Shostakovich had already worked with director Grigory Kozentsev to compose music for his film Hamlet in 1964. In his film music for King Lear, Shostakovich composed a 9-part score that depicts human misery, suffering and the destitution of peasants. The music score is spare, clean and light, a stark difference from the Romanticism of composers such as Tchaikovsky. Even the storm scene is sparse with just an intimation of rain, wind and thunder. Shostakovich also composed incidental music for King Lear, op. 58a that includes a series of fanfares.

Source: Naxos Music Library