The Execution of Stepan Razin


The Execution of Stepan Razin 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 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 — Estonian Concert Choir, ENSO Paavo Järvi Erato 2015.The Execution of Stepan Razin — Seattle Symphony Chorale, Seattle Symphony, Gerard Schwarz: Naxos 2006.Symphony No. 12 and The Execution of Stepan Razin — Rundfunkchor & Sinfonie-orchester Leipzig, Herbert Kegel: Philips 1992.