The Pathetic Overture in C-Minor is a composition of Russian composer Nikolaj Mjaskovski. He composed it in 1947 for symphony orchestra. It is dedicated to the thirty-year existence of the Red Army. The composing style clearly embodies Maskovsky's signature. The beginning is quite gloomy, gradually goes over in music of more optimistic nature to end in triumph.
That was not enough for the Soviet authorities. One had expected a pompous and triumphant piece of music, from which point to end it would be clear how good that army was. The gloomy beginning probably reflected the significant (and much later unnecessarily apparent) losses that this army suffered under Stalin during World War II. On February 14, 1948, the Soviet leadership in the 17th Order of the Council of Ministers declared a ban on the work because of the pessimistic character (in their eyes). From then on, Mskaskovski had to make even more work as fellow composers. Discography
Sixty years later, there is only one recording of this work, which has been published in three different editions:
wiki
