D. Shostakovich - Prelude and Fugue in D♭ major [Op. 87 No. 15]

The prelude is a brusque waltz typical of Shostakovich. The opening theme resembles "We Wish You a Merry Christmas". The date of the composition (20 December) may explain this. The vivace fugue is a tour de force of chromatic and atonal writing. The subject contains 11 of the 12 semitones available, with the twelfth only introduced at the very end of the fugue. Ronald Stevenson has suggested this to be a sardonic commentary on serial music, as by the end of the piece tonic/dominant harmony is finally established, though not very convincingly. Introduction [0:00] Prelude [0:07] Fugue [3:03]