Dmitri Schostakowitsch

Tahiti Trot, op. 16

TAHITI TROT, Op. 16 is an arrangement by Dmitri Shostakovich (1906-1975) for orchestra paraphrasing the song "Tea for Two" from the musical NO, NO, NANETTE by Vincent Youmans. It was composed in 1927 as a result of a bet between Shostakovich and the score's dedicatee, Nicolai Malko, that the composer should finish the orchestration in under an hour. Shostakovich completed the orchestration in forty-five minutes. It premiered at the Moscow Conservatory on November, 25, 1928 conducted by Malko. The work was initially very popular, but Shostakovich was quickly forced to renounce the work due to the turbulent political environment in the Soviet Union during the 1928/1929 period, and TAHITI TROT was considered lost until reconstructed in the early 1980s by Gennady Rozhdestvensky from the orchestral parts provided him by Malko's widow. It now remains part of the standard repertoire for lighter music and pops concerts. Instrumentation: 1+Picc.2.1.1: 4.2.1.0: Timp. Perc(3-4): Clst.Hp: Str (9.8.7.6.5 in set). Part of the Kalmus Symphonic Pops series.