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Shostakovich
A biography of popular twentieth-century Soviet composer Dmitri Shostakovich.
Internationally esteemed, Soviet composer Dmitri Shostakovich is widely considered to have been the last great classical symphonist, and his reputation has continued to increase since his death in 1975.
Shostakovich wrote his First Symphony at the age of nineteen, then he soon embarked on a dual career as a concert pianist and composer. His early avant-gardism resulted in the triumph of his 1934 opera Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk . Though at first highly praised by Stalin, Shostakovich would later suffer from a complex and brutalizing relationship with the Soviet dictator and the governments that followed him. Despite this persecution, his Seventh Symphony was embraced as a potent symbol of Russian resistance to the invading Nazi army in both the USSR and the West. Though his later years were marked by ill health, his rate of composition remained prolific. His music became increasingly beloved as he established himself as the most popular composer of serious music in the middle of the twentieth century.
Internationally esteemed, Soviet composer Dmitri Shostakovich is widely considered to have been the last great classical symphonist, and his reputation has continued to increase since his death in 1975.
Shostakovich wrote his First Symphony at the age of nineteen, then he soon embarked on a dual career as a concert pianist and composer. His early avant-gardism resulted in the triumph of his 1934 opera Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk . Though at first highly praised by Stalin, Shostakovich would later suffer from a complex and brutalizing relationship with the Soviet dictator and the governments that followed him. Despite this persecution, his Seventh Symphony was embraced as a potent symbol of Russian resistance to the invading Nazi army in both the USSR and the West. Though his later years were marked by ill health, his rate of composition remained prolific. His music became increasingly beloved as he established himself as the most popular composer of serious music in the middle of the twentieth century.
- GenresBiography
220 pages, Paperback
Published May 19, 2022
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Brian Morton
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
March 15, 2024
This man and his music has fascinated me for a long time. Both are enigmatic and destined to remain so I guess. My copy of this is subtitled ‘ A Coded Life in Music’ and that is the essential theme of the book. The many mixed messages in the music, the author illuminates throughout. But at the end of it both man and music remain enigmatic.
One thing is clear to me though: Shostakovich was a great patriot who chose to live and work in the Russia he loved. Doubtless, he might have slept better in the west, far removed from Uncle Joe and his terrifying mood swings. But could he have flourished elsewhere and would he then have left behind such a legacy of music filled with the essential essences of Mother Russia, past, present and future?? Listening to much of his work we witness the scary times he lived through. More than once we hear the stomp of a heavy footed Stalin.
I am now even more fascinated by the great man and his music. The latter is likely to be hitting the air waves around me for weeks to come.
It is a tremendous pity that this book does not have an index. It is an invaluable commentary on Shostakovich’s work and its value as a reference work would have soared for me with a helpful index.
One thing is clear to me though: Shostakovich was a great patriot who chose to live and work in the Russia he loved. Doubtless, he might have slept better in the west, far removed from Uncle Joe and his terrifying mood swings. But could he have flourished elsewhere and would he then have left behind such a legacy of music filled with the essential essences of Mother Russia, past, present and future?? Listening to much of his work we witness the scary times he lived through. More than once we hear the stomp of a heavy footed Stalin.
I am now even more fascinated by the great man and his music. The latter is likely to be hitting the air waves around me for weeks to come.
It is a tremendous pity that this book does not have an index. It is an invaluable commentary on Shostakovich’s work and its value as a reference work would have soared for me with a helpful index.
November 12, 2025
Good biographical sketch of a complex man.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews