Shostakovich: Concertino for Two Pianos in A Minor, Op. 94 (Kim & Hinz)

Shostakovich's Concertino is one piece of music that deserves to be more well-known. Written in 1954 for the composer and his son Maxim, a student of the Moscow Conservatory, the piece features a delightful combination of textures, melody, and form. The whole piece is in a large-scale sonata form with concerto solos for the two pianists.
Analysis:
INTRODUCTION
0:00: An "orchestral tutti" in dotted rhythms opens the piece, leading to a melancholy hymn-like solo in the first part. This call-and-response pattern continues throughout the introduction. Towards the final part of the section, mysterious chords build tension before Shostakovich introduces...
EXPOSITION
3:00 Theme 1: A rhythmic, militaristic ostinato begins in the second part as a beautiful lyric theme in A minor begins overtop. The melody is stated first like a solo before being transferred into the "orchestra." The rhythmic ostinato continues in this second part in the first piano.
3:36 Transition: Here Shostakovich begins modulating towards his second subject and also expanding the music's rhythmic palette, introducing an off-beat accompaniment that returns again and again throughout the piece. At 3:55, Shostakovich unexpectedly reintroduces the main theme as a solo in the second piano before a quick transition takes the music to...
4:10 Theme 2: A light, military march burbles along in C major. The dotted rhythm of the theme is taken directly from the opening "orchestral tutti." The melody exchanges between the two pianos as before. However, just as the second theme begins in the first piano a downwards scale takes the music to...
DEVELOPMENT
4:33: Shostakovich begins developing the head of T2. He also introduces trumpet-like fanfares into the first piano. After a brief restatement of the T2, he then reintroduces and develops T1 in Eb minor (5:09).
6:26: The development comes to a climax when the opening "orchestral tutti" is reintroduced along with a surging tremolo in the first piano. This leads to a recollection of the opening hymn-like solo at 6:42 while the "orchestra" maintains a low pedal drone.
7:25: A brief "orchestral" interlude in the distant key of Eb suddenly winds up on E, the dominant of A minor. (The melodic material here seems to trace out the Dies Irae, though it could also possibly be a reference to the opening fanfare without the dotted rhythms.)
RECAPITULATION:
7:53 T1: The first theme returns again in a minor, this time without the driving rhythmic ostinato. The theme switches between the two piano as before. A very brief transition takes us to...
8:29 T2: T2 appears in A major, rather than minor, accompanied by a bouncy bass accompaniment. As before, the second theme repeats in a different piano but a descending scale marks the start of the...
CODA
8:52: Shostakovich begins again with a modulatory version of T2's head and gives a brief solo to the first piano which restates some developmental material.
9:07: A dominant pedal begins in the bass as music begins to gradually increase in tension.
9:25: The pedal tone switches to upper octave of the first piano as a tremolo. Glissandi soar above a building line in the bass, which harks back to the opening of the piece. The whole section builds till 9:58 where the mysterious chords from the introduction return once more.
10:21: The opening hymn-like solo returns this time ending on a viio7/V, posing a question.
10:53: The music suddenly restarts, leading to a final cadence in A minor.
Performers:
Samuel B. Kim (Piano I)
Peter Stuart Hinz (Piano II)
References:
Recording of Shostakovich and his son playing the piece: • Shostakovich - Concert...