The Execution of Stepan Razin

The Execution of Stepan Razin (Russian «Казнь Степана Разина») (Op. 119) is a cantata composed by Dimitri Shostakovich to a libretto by Yevgeny Yevtushenko in 1964. The subject is the execution of Stepan Razin, a Cossack leader who headed a major uprising (1670–71) against the nobility and tsarist bureaucracy in southern Russia.

Lyrics
The opening section of Yevtushenko's poem depicts Razin's fate in front of the uncaring crowd:

In the middle section, Razin reflects on his fate: "Fool! Stenka, you die for nothing!" The final section describes the execution itself, in very short, choppy lines: the crowd falls silent, and Razin's head, still living - laughs his triumph over the watching tsar.

Recordings

 * Shostakovich: Cantatas &mdash; Estonian Concert Choir, ENSO Paavo Järvi Erato 2015.
 * The Execution of Stepan Razin &mdash; Seattle Symphony Chorale, Seattle Symphony, Gerard Schwarz: Naxos 2006.
 * Symphony No. 12 and The Execution of Stepan Razin &mdash; Rundfunkchor & Sinfonie-orchester Leipzig, Herbert Kegel: Philips 1992.
 * Georgy Sviridov Oratorio Pathetique and Shostakovich The Execution of Stepan Razin &mdash; Varna Philharmonic Orchestra and Chorus, Andrey Andreev (cond.) & Assen Vassilev (bass): Koch International Classics 1990.
 * Symphony No. 9 and The Execution of Stepan Razin &mdash; Moscow State Philharmonic Symphony Orchestra & Republican Russian Choir Capella, Kirill Kondrashin (cond.) & Vitali Gromadsky (bass): Melodiya 1965 (reissued as a CD in 2015 by High Definition Tape Transfers).