Suite in memoriam Shostakovich

Composed in 1988 for viola and piano, this 23-minute suite is an homage to Dmitri Shostakovich’s musical legacy​. Kugel wrote the piece “under the influence of Shostakovich’s works without [direct] quotations,” meaning it evokes Shostakovich’s style and mood without explicitly borrowing his themes​.

The Suite in memoriam Shostakovich is multi-movement; its sections (including an Epigraph, an Introduzione, and a sardonic March) alternate between elegiac introspection and biting irony, reflecting the character of Shostakovich’s late works. Harmonically and emotionally, Kugel’s writing echoes Shostakovich’s dark tonal language and poignant contrasts, from mournful, singing viola lines to abrupt, martial rhythms.

The suite was conceived as a tribute to Shostakovich’s memory, more than a decade after the composer’s death in 1975. Kugel initially wrote it in the late 1980s while still in the Soviet Union, a period when Shostakovich’s music was gaining renewed appreciation. He later settled in Belgium and published the revised suite in 1999​. The piece can be seen as Kugel’s personal response to Shostakovich’s final composition, the Viola Sonata op.147 (1975), sharing a similar somber atmosphere. In fact, Kugel recorded Suite in memoriam Shostakovich alongside Shostakovich’s sonata on an album titled “In Memoriam Shostakovich” (Extraplatte, 1998), underlining the connection between the two works. This pairing revealed a more introspective side of Kugel’s artistry – The Strad magazine noted that the recording “presents him in quite a different light, including Shostakovich’s last work alongside Kugel’s own homage to the older composer”.

Written for viola and piano, the suite demands an advanced technique and deep expressiveness from the violist​. The viola part explores the instrument’s full range, from rich low timbres to high, intense passages, mirroring Shostakovich’s penchant for extreme registers. Though not as overtly virtuosic as Kugel’s showpieces, it features technical challenges like wide leaps, double-stops, and abrupt dynamic shifts to convey its dramatic narrative. The piano provides more than accompaniment – at times it adds percussive drive in the march-like sections and at others a sparse, bell-like underpinning in elegiac moments. Performers must balance the piece’s somber memorial character with its occasional flashes of grotesque humor (inspired by Shostakovich’s irony).

Reception and recordings: Suite in memoriam Shostakovich has been well received, especially by viola enthusiasts for whom Shostakovich’s own sonata is core repertoire. Kugel’s 1998 recording with pianist Vesna Podrug earned critical praise and was selected as a “Strad Selection” (Recording of the Month) in The Strad magazine​. Reviewers highlighted the emotional depth Kugel brought to the music and how effectively the suite complements Shostakovich’s sonata as an encore or companion piece. While not yet a standard repertory piece, it is occasionally performed in recitals and viola competitions, valued for its sincere homage and the opportunity it gives violists to channel Shostakovich’s spirit.