Dmitri Shostakovich in 1942

Dmitri Dmitriyevich Shostakovich listen (help· info) (Russian: Дмитрий Дмитриевич Шостакович) (September 25 [O.S. September 12] 1906 – August 9, 1975) was a Russian composer of the Soviet period. Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 393 × 599 pixelsFull resolution (768 × 1170 pixel, file size: 112 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 393 × 599 pixelsFull resolution (768 × 1170 pixel, file size: 112 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Image File history File links Ru-Dmitri Dmitrievich Shostakovich. ... is the 268th day of the year (269th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Old Style redirects here. ... Year 1906 (MCMVI) was a common year starting on Monday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Sunday of the 13-day-slower Julian calendar). ... is the 221st day of the year (222nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1975 (MCMLXXV) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... A composer is a person who writes music. ... CCCP redirects here. ...

After a period influenced by Prokofiev and Stravinsky (Symphony No. 1), Shostakovich embraced the modernist aesthetic (Symphony No. 2 and The Nose) before developing a hybrid of styles with Lady Macbeth and the withdrawn Fourth Symphony. Shostakovich's hybrid style juxtaposed a wide variety of trends within a single work, such as the neo-classical style (showing the influence of Stravinsky) and a form of post-romantic style (after Mahler). His unique approach to tonality involved the use of modal scales and some astringent neo-classical harmonies à la Hindemith and Prokofiev. His music frequently includes sharp contrasts and elements of the grotesque. Sergei Sergeyevich Prokofiev (Russian: , Sergej Sergejevič Prokofijev; April 27 (April 151 O.S.), 1891–March 5, 1953) was a Russian and Soviet composer who mastered numerous musical genres and came to be admired as one of the greatest composers of the 20th century. ... Igor Stravinsky. ... The Symphony No. ... The Symphony No. ... The Nose is a satirical opera by the Russian composer Dmitri Shostakovich. ... Lady Macbeth of the Mtsensk District (Леди Макбет Мценского уезда in Russian; Ledi Makbet Mtsenskovo Uyezda in transliteration) is an opera in four acts by the Russian composer Dmitri Shostakovich to a Russian libretto by Alexander Preis and the composer, inspired by and named after the famous story by Nikolai Leskov. ... The Symphony No. ... Neoclassical may refer to: Neoclassical American realism Neoclassical architecture, an architecture style of the 18th century Neoclassical ballet Neoclassical economics, an economic theory Neoclassical growth model Neoclassical liberalism Neoclassical theology Neoclassical school Music: Neoclassical (Dark Wave) Neoclassical (Metal) Neoclassical (New Age) See also: Neoclassic (automobile), a car that is made... Mahler redirects here. ... The term modal may refer to: Modal, a textile made from spun Beechwood cellulose Modal logic Modal verbs Mode Musical mode This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ... Paul Hindemith (November 16, 1895 – December 28, 1963) was a German classical composer, violist, teacher, theorist and conductor. ... This article is about the word itself. ...

Shostakovich prided himself on his orchestration, which is clear, economical, and well-projected. This aspect of Shostakovich's technique owes more to Gustav Mahler than Rimsky-Korsakov. His most popular works are his 15 symphonies and 15 string quartets. His works for piano include 2 piano sonatas, an early set of preludes, and a later set of 24 preludes and fugues. Other works include two operas, six concertos, and a substantial quantity of film music. Mahler refers to: Alma Maria Mahler-Werfel, or Alma Maria Schindler-Mahler Anna Mahler Arthur Mahler, Austrian archeologist Bruce Mahler, actor David Mahler, composer Eduard Mahler, Austrian astronomer; born in Hungary Gustav Mahler, Bohemian-Austrian composer and conductor Halfdan T. Mahler, Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO) from... Nikolay Andreyevich Rimsky-Korsakov (Russian: Никола́й Андре́евич Ри́мский-Ко́рсаков), also Nikolai, Nicolai, and Rimsky-Korsakoff, (March 18, 1844 – June 21, 1908) was a Russian composer and teacher of classical music particularly noted for his fine orchestration, which may have been influenced by his synaesthesia. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... The Juilliard String Quartet performing in 1963. ... A prelude is a short piece of music, usually in no particular internal form, which may serve as an introduction to succeeding movements of a work that are usually longer and more complex. ... In music, a fugue (IPA: ) is a type of contrapuntal composition or technique of composition for a fixed number of parts, normally referred to as voices, irrespective of whether the work is vocal or instrumental. ... For other uses, see Opera (disambiguation). ... The term Concerto (plural concertos or concerti) usually refers to a musical work in which one solo instrument is accompanied by an orchestra. ... A film score is a set of musical compositions written to accompany a film. ...

Shostakovich had a complex and difficult relationship with the Soviet government, suffering two official denunciations of his music, in 1936 and 1948, and the periodic banning of his work. At the same time, he received a number of accolades and state awards and served in the Supreme Soviet. Despite the official controversy, his works were popular and well liked; he is now held to be, as Grove's judges him, the most talented Soviet composer of his generation.^[1] See also: 1935 in music, other events of 1936, 1937 in music and the list of years in music. // Events January 4 - Billboard magazine publishes its first music hit parade April 19 - in Barcelona, Alban Bergs Violin Concerto is premiered by Louis Krasner Tony Bennetts musical career begins... See also: 1947 in music, other events of 1948, 1949 in music and the list of years in music. // Aldeburgh Festival is founded by Benjamin Britten, Eric Crozier and Peter Pears. ... The Supreme Soviet (Russian: , Verhovniy Sovet, literally the Supreme Council) comprised the highest legislative body in the Soviet Union in the interim of the sessions of the Congress of Soviets, and the only one with the power to pass constitutional amendments. ... Second Edition, shelved The Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians is an encyclopedic dictionary of music and musicians and is regarded as the most authoritative reference source on the subject in the English language. ...

David Fanning concludes in Grove that, "Amid the conflicting pressures of official requirements, the mass suffering of his fellow countrymen, and his personal ideals of humanitarian and public service, he succeeded in forging a musical language of colossal emotional power."^[2] Shostakovich is now regarded as "the most popular composer of serious art music of the middle years of the 20th century".^[3]

Life

Birthplace of Shostakovich (now School no. 267). Commemorative plaque at left.

Image File history File linksMetadata Shostakovichbirthplaque. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Shostakovichbirthplaque. ...

Early life

Born at 2 Podolskaya Ulitsa in Saint Petersburg, Russia, Shostakovich was the second of three children born to Dmitri Boleslavovich Shostakovich and Sofiya Vasilievna Kokoulina. Though the Shostakovich family (originally Szostakowicz) was of Polish Roman Catholic heritage, his immediate forebears came from Siberia. His paternal grandfather, a Polish revolutionary in the January Uprising of 1863-4, had been exiled to Narim (near Tomsk) in 1866 in the crackdown that followed Dmitri Karakozov's assassination attempt on Tsar Alexander II. After the expiration of his term of exile Bolesław Szostakowicz decided to remain in Siberia. He eventually became a successful banker in Irkutsk and raised a large family. His son, Dmitriy Boleslavovich Shostakovich, the composer's father, was born in exile in Narim in 1875 and attended Saint Petersburg University, graduating in 1899 from the faculty of physics and mathematics. After graduation, he went to work as an engineer under Dmitriy Mendeleyev at the Bureau of Weights and Measures in Saint Petersburg. In 1903, he married Sofya Vasilyevna Kokoulina, another Siberian transplant to the capital and soon to be the composers mother. Sofya herself was one of six children born to Vasiliy Yakovlevich Kokoulin, a Russian Siberian native. Dmitri Shostakovich's family was politically liberal (one of his uncles was a Bolshevik, but the family also sheltered far-right extremists). Saint Petersburg (Russian: Санкт-Петербу́рг, English transliteration: Sankt-Peterburg), colloquially known as Питер (transliterated Piter), formerly known as Leningrad (Ленингра́д, 1924–1991) and Petrograd (Петрогра́д, 1914–1924), is a city located in Northwestern Russia on the delta of the river Neva at the east end of the Gulf of Finland... The Roman Catholic Church, most often spoken of simply as the Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with over one billion members. ... This article is about Siberia as a whole. ... Polonia (Poland), 1863, by Jan Matejko, 1864, oil on canvas, 156 × 232 cm, National Museum, Kraków. ... Flag Seal Location Tomsk and Oblast on the map of Russia Coordinates , Government Oblast Tomsk Mayor Aleksandr Makarov Geographical characteristics Area     City 294,6 km²     Land   294,6 km²     Water   0 km² Population     City (end of 2005) 509,568     Density   1,730/km² Elevation +100 m Website: Municipality website Main... Dmitry Vladimirovich Karakozov (Дмитрий Владимирович Каракозов in Russian) (10. ... Alexander II (1818-1881) Alexander (Aleksandr) II (Russian: Александр II Николаевич) (April 17, 1818–March 13, 1881) was the Emperor (tsar) of Russia from March 2, 1855 until his assassination. ... Irkutsk (Russian: ) is one of the largest cities in Siberia and the administrative center of Irkutsk Oblast, situated 5,185 kilometers (3,222 mi) by rail from Moscow. ... Seal of Saint Petersburg State University Saint Petersburg State University (Санкт-Петербургский Государственный Университет) one of the oldest Russian educational institutions, established in the city of Saint Petersburg on January 28, 1724 by decree of Peter the Great. ... Portrait of Dmitri Mendeleyev by Ilya Repin Dmitriy Ivanovich Mendeleyev (Russian: â–¶(?)) (8 February [O.S. 27 January] 1834 in Tobolsk – 2 February [O.S. 20 January] 1907 in Saint Petersburg), was a Russian chemist. ... Liberalism is an ideology, philosophical view, and political tradition which holds that liberty is the primary political value. ... This article is about the Bolshevik faction in the RSDLP 1903-1912. ...

He was a child prodigy as both a pianist and composer, his talent becoming apparent after he began piano lessons at the age of eight with his mother. (On several occasions, he displayed a remarkable ability to remember what his mother had played at the previous lesson, and would get "caught in the act" of pretending to read, by playing the previous lesson's music when different music was placed in front of him.)^[4] In 1918, he wrote a funeral march in memory of two leaders of the Kadet party, murdered by Bolshevik sailors. In 1919, he was allowed to enter the Petrograd Conservatory, then headed by Alexander Glazunov. However, he suffered for his perceived lack of political zeal, and initially failed his exam in Marxist methodology in 1926. His first major musical achievement was the First Symphony (premiered 1926), written as his graduation piece at the age of twenty. Wunderkind redirects here. ... A pianist is a person who plays the piano. ... The Constitutional Democratic Party (Constitutional Democrats, formally Party of Popular Freedom, informally Cadets) was a liberal political party in Tsarist Russia. ... This article is about the Bolshevik faction in the RSDLP 1903-1912. ... Theatre Square and the conservatory in 1913. ... Portrait by Ilya Repin, 1887. ... Marxism is both the theory and the political practice (that is, the praxis) derived from the work of Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels. ... The Symphony No. ... See also: 1925 in music, other events of 1926, 1927 in music and the list of years in music. Events June 26 - Václav Talich conducts the world premiered of Leos Janaceks Sinfonietta in Prague October 21 - Carl Nielsens Flute Concerto is given its world premiere in Paris...

Shostakovich in 1925

After graduation, he initially embarked on a dual career as a concert pianist and composer, but his dry style of playing (Fay comments on his "emotional restraint" and "riveting rhythmic drive") was often unappreciated. He nevertheless won an "honorable mention" at the First Frederic Chopin International Piano Competition in Warsaw in 1927. After the competition Shostakovich met the conductor Bruno Walter, who was so impressed by the composer's First Symphony that he conducted it at the Berlin premiere later that year. Thereafter, Shostakovich concentrated on composition and soon limited performances primarily to those of his own works. In 1927 he wrote his Second Symphony (subtitled To October). While writing the symphony, he also began his satirical opera The Nose, based on the story by Gogol. In 1929, the opera was criticised as "formalist" by RAPM, the Stalinist musicians' organisation, and it opened to generally poor reviews in 1930. Bruno Walter (Bruno Walter Schlesinger) (September 15, 1876 – February 17, 1962) was a German-born conductor and composer. ... The Symphony No. ... See also: 1926 in music, other events of 1927, 1928 in music and the list of years in music. Events January 8 - Alban Bergs Lyric Suite is premiered in Vienna July 1 - Béla Bartóks Piano Concerto No. ... The Symphony No. ... 1867 edition of Punch, a ground-breaking British magazine of popular humour, including a good deal of satire of the contemporary social and political scene. ... For other uses, see Opera (disambiguation). ... The Nose is a satirical opera by the Russian composer Dmitri Shostakovich. ... Nikolai Vasilievich Gogol (Russian: ; IPA: ; Ukrainian: ) (April 1, 1809 — March 4, 1852) was a Russian-language writer of Ukrainian origin. ... // Introduction The distinctive feature of Russian Formalism is the emphasis on the functional role of literary devices and the original conception of the evolution of literary history. ... RAPM (the Russian Association of Proletarian Musicians) was a musicians organisation of the early Soviet period. ... See also: 1929 in music, other events of 1930, 1931 in music and the list of years in music. // Events The BBC Symphony Orchestra is formed. ...

1927 also marked the beginning of the composer's relationship with Ivan Sollertinsky, who remained his closest friend until the latter's death in 1944. Sollertinsky introduced Shostakovich to the music of Gustav Mahler, which had a strong influence on his music from the Fourth Symphony onwards. 1932 saw his open marriage to his first wife, Nina Varzar. Initial difficulties led to divorce proceedings in 1935, but the couple soon reunited. Ivan Ivanovich Sollertinsky (1902 - 1944) was a Russian polymath of the Soviet period. ... Mahler redirects here. ... The Symphony No. ... Open marriage typically refers to a marriage in which the partners agree that each may engage in extramarital sexual relationships, without this being regarded as infidelity. ...

In the late 1920s and early 1930s he worked at TRAM, a proletarian youth theatre. Although he did little work in this post, it shielded him from ideological attack. Much of this period was spent writing his opera Lady Macbeth of the Mtsensk District; it was first performed in 1934 and was immediately successful, both on a popular and official level. It was said to be “the result of the general success of Socialist construction, of the correct policy of the Party" and that such an opera “could have been written only by a Soviet composer brought up in the best tradition of Soviet culture.”^[5] Workers Youth Theatre, also known as TRAM (the Russian acronym for Teatr RAbochey Molodyozhi) was a Soviet proletarian youth theatre of the late 1920s and early 1930s. ... Lady Macbeth of the Mtsensk District (Леди Макбет Мценского уезда in Russian; Ledi Makbet Mtsenskovo Uyezda in transliteration) is an opera in four acts by the Russian composer Dmitri Shostakovich to a Russian libretto by Alexander Preis and the composer, inspired by and named after the famous story by Nikolai Leskov. ... See also: 1933 in music, other events of 1934, 1935 in music and the list of years in music. // Events March 12 - the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Wilhelm Furtwängler given the world premiere of Paul Hindemiths symphony Mathis der Maler in Berlin November 7 - Sergei Rachmaninoffs...

First denunciation

In 1936 Shostakovich fell from grace. The year began with a series of attacks on him in Pravda, in particular an article entitled Muddle Instead of Music. The campaign, which condemned Lady Macbeth as formalist, "coarse, primitive and vulgar",^[6] was thought to have been instigated by Stalin; consequently, commissions began to dry up, and his income fell by about three quarters. The Fourth Symphony entered rehearsals that December, but the political climate made performance impossible. It was not performed until 1961, but Shostakovich did not repudiate the work: it retained its designation as his Fourth Symphony. A piano reduction was published in 1946. For other uses, see Pravda (disambiguation). ... Josef Vissarionovich Dzhugashvili (Georgian: , Ioseb Besarionis Dze Jughashvili; Russian: , Iosif Vissarionovich Dzhugashvili) (December 18 [O.S. December 6] 1878[1] – March 5, 1953), better known by his adopted name, Joseph Stalin (alternatively transliterated Josef Stalin), was General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Unions Central Committee from... The Symphony No. ...

More widely, 1936 marked the beginning of the Great Terror, in which many of the composer's friends and relatives were imprisoned or killed. His only consolation in this period was the birth of his daughter Galina in 1936; his son Maxim was born two years later. The Reign of Terror (June 1793 - July 1794) was a period in the French Revolution characterized by brutal repression. ... Maxim Dmitrievich Shostakovich (born May 10, 1938) is a Russian conductor and pianist. ...

The composer's response to his denunciation was the Fifth Symphony of 1937, which was, because of its fourth movement, musically more conservative than his earlier works. It was a success, and is still one of his most popular works. It was also at this time that Shostakovich composed the first of his string quartets. His chamber works allowed him to experiment and express ideas which would have been unacceptable in his more public symphonic pieces. In September 1937, he began to teach composition at the Conservatory, which provided some financial security but interfered with his own creative work. The Symphony No. ... See also: 1936 in music, other events of 1937, 1938 in music and the list of years in music. Events January 21 - Paul Sacher conducts the world premiere of Béla Bartóks Music for Strings, Percussion and Celesta in Basel June 2 - The incomplete version of Alban Berg... The Juilliard String Quartet performing in 1963. ... Chamber music is a form of classical music, written for a small group of instruments which traditionally could be accommodated in a palace chamber. ...

Wartime propaganda images of Shostakovich as a fire warden reached as far as the American Time magazine.

Image File history File links Shostakovichtimecover. ... Image File history File links Shostakovichtimecover. ... TIME redirects here. ...

War

After the outbreak of war between Russia and Germany in 1941, Shostakovich initially remained in Leningrad, enduring the siege, during which he wrote the first three movements of his Seventh Symphony (nicknamed Leningrad). He also contributed to propaganda efforts, posing as a fire warden and delivering a radio broadcast to the Soviet people listen (help· info). In October 1941, the composer and his family evacuated to Kuybishev (now Samara), where the symphony was completed. It was adopted as a symbol of Russian resistance both in the USSR and in the West. The Eastern Front was the theatre of combat between Nazi Germany and its allies against the Soviet Union during World War II. It was somewhat separate from the other theatres of the war, not only geographically, but also for its scale and ferocity. ... Belligerents Nazi Germany Finland[1][2][3] Soviet Union Commanders Wilhelm von Leeb Georg von Küchler Carl Gustaf Mannerheim[4][5][6] Kliment Voroshilov Georgiy Zhukov Leonid Govorov Strength 725,000 930,000 Casualties and losses Wehrmacht (est. ... Symphony No. ... Image File history File links ShostakovichRadio1941. ... This article is about about the city in Russia. ...

In spring 1943 the family moved to Moscow. Whilst the Seventh Symphony depicts a heroic (and ultimately victorious) struggle against adversity, the Eighth Symphony of that year is perhaps the ultimate in sombre and violent expression within Shostakovich's output, resulting in it being banned until 1956. The Ninth Symphony (1945), in contrast, is an ironic Haydnesque parody, which failed to satisfy demands for a "hymn of victory". Shostakovich continued to compose chamber music, notably his Second Piano Trio (Op. 67), dedicated to the memory of Sollertinsky, with a bitter-sweet, Jewish-themed totentanz finale. For other uses, see Moscow (disambiguation). ... The Symphony No. ... // January 1 - Blue Suede Shoes is released by Carl Perkins on the Sun Records label. ... Symphony No. ... The Piano Trio No. ... This article is about La Dance Macabre, the late-medieval allegory. ... A finale is a closing part, act or movement of a dramatic or musical composition, or more generally any event or procedure with a dramatically concluding effect. ...

Second denunciation

In 1948 Shostakovich, along with many other composers, was again denounced for formalism in the Zhdanov decree. Most of his works were banned, he was forced to publicly repent, and his family had privileges withdrawn. Yuri Lyubimov says that at this time "he waited for his arrest at night out on the landing by the lift, so that at least his family wouldn't be disturbed".^[7] Zhdanov Doctrine (also called zhdanovism or zhdanovschina, Russian: доктрина Жданова, ждановизм, ждановщина) was a Soviet doctrine developed by the Central Committee secretary Andrei Zhdanov in 1946. ... Yuri Petrovich Lyubimov (born September 17, 1917 in Yaroslavl) is a Russian stage actor and director. ...

In the next few years his compositions were divided into film music to pay the rent, official works aimed at securing official rehabilitation, and serious works "for the desk drawer". The latter included the Violin Concerto No. 1 and the song cycle From Jewish Folk Poetry. The cycle was written at a time when the post-war anti-Semitic campaign was already under way, and Shostakovich had close ties with some of those affected. Rehabilitation in the context of Soviet or Russian topics is often a false friend used to translate the Russian term reabilitatsiya as applied to convicted persons. ... The Violin Concerto No. ... From Jewish Folk Poetry (opus 79) is a song cycle for soprano, mezzo soprano, tenor and piano by Dmitri Shostakovich. ... Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ...

The restrictions on Shostakovich's music and living arrangements were eased in 1949, in order to secure his participation in a delegation of Soviet notables to the U.S. That year he also wrote his cantata Song of the Forests, which praised Stalin as the "great gardener". In 1951 the composer was made a deputy to the Supreme Soviet. Stalin's death in 1953 was the biggest step towards Shostakovich's official rehabilitation, which was marked by his Tenth Symphony. It features a number of musical quotations and codes (notably the DSCH and Elmira motifs), the meaning of which is still debated, whilst the savage second movement is said to be a musical portrait of Stalin himself. It ranks alongside the Fifth as one of his most popular works. 1953 also saw a stream of premieres of the "desk drawer" works. A cantata (Italian, sung) is a vocal composition with an instrumental accompaniment and generally containing more than one movement. ... The Song of the Forests (opus 81) is an oratorio by Dmitri Shostakovich celebrating the Soviet governments post-war reforestation plan. ... The Supreme Soviet (Russian: , Verhovniy Sovet, literally the Supreme Council) comprised the highest legislative body in the Soviet Union in the interim of the sessions of the Congress of Soviets, and the only one with the power to pass constitutional amendments. ... This article might not be written in the formal tone expected of an encyclopedia entry. ... The DSCH motif DSCH is a musical motif used by the Russian composer Dmitri Shostakovich to represent himself, in the manner of the BACH motif of Johann Sebastian Bach. ...

During the forties and fifties Shostakovich had close relationships with two of his pupils: Galina Ustvolskaya and Elmira Nazirova. He taught Ustvolskaya from 1937 to 1947. The nature of their relationship is far from clear: Mstislav Rostropovich described it as "tender" and Ustvolskaya claimed in a 1995 interview that she rejected a proposal from him in the fifties. However, in the same interview, Ustvolskaya's friend, Viktor Suslin, said that she had been "deeply disappointed" in him by the time of her graduation in 1947. The relationship with Nazirova seems to have been one-sided, expressed largely through his letters to her, and can be dated to around 1953 to 1956. In the background to all this remained Shostakovich's first, open marriage to Nina Varzar until her death in 1954. He married his second wife, Komsomol activist Margarita Kainova, in 1956; the couple proved ill-matched, and divorced three years later. Galina Ustvolskaya (born June 17, 1919) is a Russian composer of classical music. ... Mstislav Leopoldovich Rostropovich KBE (Russian: Мстисла́в Леопо́льдович Ростропо́вич, Mstislav Leopoldovič Rostropovič, IPA: ), (March 27, 1927 – April 27, 2007), known to close friends as “Slava”, was a Russian cellist and conductor. ... Komsomol (Комсомол) is a syllabic abbreviation word, from the Russian Kommunisticheski Soyuz Molodiozhi (Коммунистический союз молодёжи), or Communist Union of Youth. The organisation served as the youth wing of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union ( CPSU), the youngest members being fourteen years old, the upper limit for an age...

In 1954, Shostakovich wrote the Festive Overture, opus 96, that was used as the theme music of the 1980 Summer Olympics.^[8] In addition his '"Theme from the film 'Pirogov', Opus 76a: Finale" was played as the cauldron was lit at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, Greece. Badge, released in the USSR The 1980 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXII Olympiad, were held in Moscow in the Soviet Union. ... Pirogov (Russian: ), or Pirogova (feminine; Пирогова) is a Russian last name and may refer to: People Alexander Pirogov (1899–1964), a Russian Soviet opera singer Grigory Pirogov (1885–1931), a Russian Soviet opera singer Nikolay Ivanovich Pirogov (1810–1881), a prominent Russian scientist Pirogov Hospital, a hospital in Sofia, Bulgaria named... The ceremony for the lighting of the flame is arranged as a pagan pageant, with priestesses dancing. ... This article is about the capital of Greece. ...

Joining the Party

The year 1960 marked another turning point in Shostakovich's life: his joining of the Communist Party. This event has been interpreted variously as a show of commitment, a mark of cowardice, or as the result of political pressure. On the one hand, the apparat was undoubtedly less repressive than it had been prior to Stalin's death. On the other, his son recalled that the event reduced Shostakovich to tears,^[9] and he later told his wife Irina that he had been blackmailed.^[10] Lev Lebedinsky has said that the composer was suicidal.^[11] Around this time, his health also began to deteriorate. Shostakovich's musical response to these personal crises was the Eighth String Quartet, composed in only three days. Like the Tenth Symphony, this quartet incorporates quotations and his musical monogram. The Communist Party of the Soviet Union (Russian: Коммунисти́ческая Па́ртия Сове́тского Сою́за, transliterated Kommunisticheskaya Partiya Sovetskogo Soyuza, acronym: КПСС (KPSS)) was the ruling political party in the Soviet Union. ... Apparatchik (Russian: аппара́тчик, IPA: plural apparatchiki) is a Russian colloquial term for a full-time, professional functionary of the Communist Party or government; i. ... Lev Lebedinsky (1904-1992) was a Russian musicologist. ... The String Quartet No. ...

In 1962 he married for the third time, to Irina Supinskaya. In a letter to his friend Isaak Glikman, he wrote, "her only defect is that she is 27 years old. In all other respects she is splendid: clever, cheerful, straightforward and very likeable."^[12] According to Galina Vishnevskaya, who knew the Shostakoviches well, this marriage was a very happy one: "It was with her that Dmitri Dmitriyevich finally came to know domestic peace... Surely, she prolonged his life by several years." ^[13] In November Shostakovich made his only venture into conducting, conducting a couple of his own works in Gorky: otherwise he declined to conduct, citing nerves and ill health as his reasons. Galina Vishnevskaya with Mstislav Rostropovich The Russian soprano Galina Vishnevskaya (Гали́на Па́вловна Вишне́вская) (born 25 October 1926) is well-known opera singer and recitalist. ... A conductor conducting at a ceremony A conductors score and batons Conducting is the act of directing a musical performance by way of visible gestures. ... Nizhny Novgorod (Russian: ), colloquially shortened as Nizhny, is the fourth largest city in Russia, ranking after Moscow, St. ...

That year saw Shostakovich again turn to the subject of anti-Semitism in his Thirteenth Symphony (subtitled Babi Yar). The symphony sets a number of poems by Yevgeny Yevtushenko, the first of which commemorates a massacre of the Jews during the Second World War. Opinions are divided as to how great a risk this was: the poem had been published in Soviet media, and was not banned, but it remained controversial. After the symphony's premiere, Yevtushenko was forced to add a stanza to his poem which said that Russians and Ukrainians had died alongside the Jews at Babi Yar. The Symphony No. ... Babi Yar (Ukrainian: Бабин яр, Babyn yar; Russian: Бабий яр, Babiy yar) is a ravine in Kiev, the capital of Ukraine, located between the Frunze and Melnykov streets and between the St. ... Yevgeny Aleksandrovich Yevtushenko (Russian: ) (born July 18, 1933) is a Russian poet. ... Combatants Allied powers: China France Great Britain Soviet Union United States and others Axis powers: Germany Italy Japan and others Commanders Chiang Kai-shek Charles de Gaulle Winston Churchill Joseph Stalin Franklin Roosevelt Adolf Hitler Benito Mussolini Hideki Tōjō Casualties Military dead: 17,000,000 Civilian dead: 33,000...

In 1965 Shostakovich raised his voice in defense of poet Joseph Brodsky, who was unfairly sentenced to five years of exile and hard labor. Shostakovich co-signed protests together with Yevtushenko and fellow Soviet artists Kornei Chukovsky, Anna Akhmatova, Samuil Marshak, and the French philosopher Jean-Paul Sartre. After the protests Brodsky's sentence was commuted, and Brodsky returned to Leningrad. At that time Shostakovich joined the group of 25 distinguished intellectuals in signing the letter to Leonid Brezhnev asking not to rehabilitate Stalin. Bookcover of Works and Days in Russian Joseph Brodsky (May 24, 1940 – January 28, 1996), born Iosif Aleksandrovich Brodsky (Russian: ) was a Russian-born poet and essayist who won the Nobel Prize in Literature (1987) and was chosen Poet Laureate of the United States (1991-1992). ... Korney Chukovsky Stamp of the USSR devoted to Korney Chukovsky, 1982 (Michel 5164, Scott 5033) Korney Ivanovich Chukovsky (Russian: , March 31 NS 1882 - October 28, 1969) is probably the most popular poet for children in the Russian language. ... Akhmatova in 1922 (Portrait by Kuzma Petrov-Vodkin) Anna Akhmatova (Russian: , real name А́нна Андре́евна Горе́нко) (June 23 [O.S. June 11] 1889 — March 5, 1966) was the pen name of Anna Andreevna Gorenko, the leader and the heart and soul of the Saint Petersburg tradition of Russian poetry for half a century. ... Samuil Marshak. ... Jean-Paul Charles Aymard Sartre (June 21, 1905 – April 15, 1980), normally known simply as Jean-Paul Sartre (pronounced: ), was a French existentialist philosopher and pioneer, dramatist and screenwriter, novelist and critic. ... Brezhnev redirects here. ...

Later life

In later life, Shostakovich suffered from chronic ill health, but he resisted giving up cigarettes and vodka. From 1958 he suffered from a debilitating condition which particularly affected his right hand, eventually forcing him to give up piano playing: in 1965 this was diagnosed as polio. He also suffered heart attacks the following year and again in 1971, and several falls in which he broke both his legs; in 1967 he wrote in a letter: Vodka bottling machine, Shatskaya Vodka Shatsk, Russia Vodka (Polish: wódka, Russian: водка) is one of the worlds most popular distilled beverages. ... Poliomyelitis (polio), or infantile paralysis, is a viral paralytic disease. ... Heart attack redirects here. ...

"Target achieved so far: 75% (right leg broken, left leg broken, right hand defective. All I need to do now is wreck the left hand and then 100% of my extremities will be out of order.)"^[14]

A preoccupation with his own mortality permeates much of Shostakovich's later works, among them the later quartets and the Fourteenth Symphony of 1969 (a song cycle based on a number of poems concerning the theme of death). The subject matter of this work also coincides with Shostakovich at his most extreme in terms of musical language, with twelve-note themes being used throughout as well as dense polyphony. Shostakovich dedicated this score to his close friend Benjamin Britten, who conducted its Western premiere at the 1970 Aldeburgh Festival. The Fifteenth Symphony of 1971 is, by contrast, melodic and retrospective in nature, quoting from Wagner, Rossini and the composer's own Fourth Symphony. The Symphony No. ... Britten redirects here. ... Snape Maltings concert hall The Aldeburgh Festival is an English arts festival devoted mainly to classical music. ... The Symphony No. ... Richard Wagner Wilhelm Richard Wagner (22 May 1813 – 13 February 1883) was a German composer, conductor, music theorist, and essayist, primarily known for his operas (or music dramas as they were later called). ... Portrait Gioacchino Antonio Rossini (February 29, 1792 – November 13, 1868)[1] was an Italian musical composer who wrote more than 30 operas as well as sacred music and chamber music. ...

A Russian stamp in Shostakovich's memory

Shostakovich died of lung cancer on August 9, 1975 and after a civic funeral was interred in the Novodevichy Cemetery, Moscow. The official obituary did not appear in Pravda until three days after his death, apparently because the wording had to be approved at the highest level, by Brezhnev and the rest of the Politburo.^[15] Even before his death he had been commemorated in the naming of the Shostakovich Peninsula on Alexander Island, Antarctica. Image File history File linksMetadata Russia-2000-stamp-Dmitri_Shostakovich. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Russia-2000-stamp-Dmitri_Shostakovich. ... Lung cancer is a disease of uncontrolled cell growth in tissues of the lung. ... is the 221st day of the year (222nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1975 (MCMLXXV) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Grave of Anton Chekhov Novodevichy Cemetery (Новодевичье кла́дбище, Novodevichye kladbishche) is the most famous cemetery in Moscow, Russia, situated next to the World Heritage Site, the 16th-century Novodevichy Convent, which is the citys third most popular tourist site. ... Saint Basils Cathedral Moscow (Russian/Cyrillic: Москва́, pronounciation: Moskva), capital of Russia, located on the river Moskva, and encompassing 878. ... For other uses, see Pravda (disambiguation). ... Leonid Ilyich Brezhnev  listen? ( Russian: Леони́д Ильи́ч Бре́жнев) ( December 19, 1906 – November 10, 1982) was effective ruler of the Soviet Union from 1964 to 1982, though at first in partnership with others. ... The Politburo (in Russian: Политбюро), known as the Presidium from 1952 to 1966, functioned as the central policymaking and governing body of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union. ... Alexander Island shown within Antarctica For the Canadian arctic island see Alexander Island, Nunavut. ...

He was outlived by his third wife Irina, his daughter Galina, and his son Maxim, a pianist and conductor who was the dedicatee and first performer of some of his father's works. Shostakovich himself left behind several recordings of his own piano works, while other noted interpreters of his music include his friends Emil Gilels, Mstislav Rostropovich, Tatiana Nikolayeva, Maria Yudina, David Oistrakh and members of the Beethoven Quartet. Maxim Dmitrievich Shostakovich (born May 10, 1938) is a Russian conductor and pianist. ... Emil Grigoryevich Gilels (Russian: Эми́ль Григо́рьевич Ги́лельс, Emili Gregorievič Gilelis; October 19, 1916 – October 14, 1985) was a Soviet pianist. ... Mstislav Leopoldovich Rostropovich KBE (Russian: Мстисла́в Леопо́льдович Ростропо́вич, Mstislav Leopoldovič Rostropovič, IPA: ), (March 27, 1927 – April 27, 2007), known to close friends as “Slava”, was a Russian cellist and conductor. ... Tatiana Petrovna Nikolayeva (Russian: Татьяна Пeтрoвнa Николаева, Tatjana Petrovna Nikolaeva; May 4, 1924–November 22, 1993) was a Russian Soviet pianist, composer and teacher. ... Maria Yudina or Mariya Yudina (1899 in Nevel, Russia - 1970 in Moscow) was a Russian pianist. ... David Fyodorovich Oistrakh (Ukrainian: Давид Фeдорович Ойстрах), David Fiodorovič Ojstrah; September 30 [O.S. September 17] 1908 – October 24, 1974) was a Soviet violinist who made many recordings and was the dedicatee of numerous violin works. ... This article does not adequately cite its references or sources. ...

Shostakovich's musical influence on later composers outside the former Soviet Union has been relatively slight, although Alfred Schnittke has taken up his eclecticism, and his contrasts between the dynamic and the static, and some of André Previn's music shows clear links to Shostakovich's style of orchestration. His influence can also be seen in some Nordic composers, such as Kalevi Aho^[16] and Lars-Erik Larsson.^[17] Many of his Russian contemporaries, and his pupils at the Leningrad Conservatory, however, were strongly influenced by his style (including German Okunev, Boris Tishchenko, whose 5th Symphony of 1978 is dedicated to Shostakovich's memory, Sergei Slonimsky, and others). Shostakovich's conservative idiom has nonetheless grown increasingly popular with audiences both within and beyond Russia, as the avant-garde has declined in influence and debate about his political views has developed. According to Grove, he has now become "the most popular composer of serious art music of the middle years of the 20th century".^[3] Alfred Schnittke April 6, 1989, Moscow Alfred Garyevich Schnittke (Russian: Альфре́д Га́рриевич Шни́тке, November 24, 1934 Engels - August 3, 1998 Hamburg) was a Russian and Soviet composer. ... André Previn (born April 6, 1929)¹ is a prominent pianist, orchestral conductor, and composer. ... Kalevi Aho (born 9 March 1949 in Forssa, Finland) is a Finnish composer. ... Lars-Erik Vilner Larsson (15 May 1908 - 27 December 1986) was an important Swedish composer of the 20th century. ... Theatre Square and the conservatory in 1913. ... German Grigoryevich Okunev (b. ... Boris Ivanovich Tishchenko (Russian: Бори́с Ива́нович Ти́щенко, born 1939, Leningrad) is a Russian and Soviet composer and pianist. ... Sergei Slonimsky Sergei Mikhailovich Slonimsky (Russian: Серге́й Миха́йлович Слони́мский, born August 12, 1932, Leningrad) is a Russian composer, pianist and musicologist. ...

Works

For a complete list, see List of compositions by Dmitri Shostakovich. See also: Category:Compositions by Dmitri Shostakovich (thematical selection of works by Shostakovich).

Shostakovich's works are broadly tonal and in the Romantic tradition, but with elements of atonality and chromaticism. In some of his later works (e.g. the Twelfth Quartet), he made use of tone rows. His output is dominated by his cycles of symphonies and string quartets, fifteen of each. The symphonies are distributed fairly evenly throughout his career, while the quartets are concentrated towards the latter part. Among the most popular are the Fifth, Seventh and Tenth Symphonies and the Eighth and Fifteenth Quartets. Other works include the operas Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk, The Nose and the unfinished The Gamblers based on the comedy of Nikolai Gogol; six concertos (two each for piano, violin and cello); two piano trios; and a large quantity of film music. This is a list of Dmitri Shostakovichs compositions by opus number. ... Tonality is a system of writing music according to certain hierarchical pitch relationships around a key center or tonic. ... The expression romantic music and the homophone phrase Romantic music have two essentially different meanings. ... Atonality describes music not conforming to the system of tonal hierarchies, which characterizes the sound of classical European music between the seventeenth and nineteenth centuries. ... The chromatic scale is a scale with twelve pitches, each a semitone or half step apart. ... Dmitri Shostakovichs String Quartet No. ... In music, a tone row or note row is a permutation, an arrangement or ordering, of the twelve notes of the chromatic scale. ... The Symphony No. ... Symphony No. ... This article might not be written in the formal tone expected of an encyclopedia entry. ... The String Quartet No. ... The String Quartet No. ... For other uses, see Opera (disambiguation). ... Lady Macbeth of the Mtsensk District (Леди Макбет Мценского уезда in Russian; Ledi Makbet Mtsenskovo Uyezda in transliteration) is an opera in four acts by the Russian composer Dmitri Shostakovich to a Russian libretto by Alexander Preis and the composer, inspired by and named after the famous story by Nikolai Leskov. ... The Nose is a satirical opera by the Russian composer Dmitri Shostakovich. ... Nikolai Vasilievich Gogol (Russian: ; IPA: ; Ukrainian: ) (April 1, 1809 — March 4, 1852) was a Russian-language writer of Ukrainian origin. ...

Shostakovich's music shows the influence of many of the composers he most admired: Bach in his fugues and passacaglias; Beethoven in the late quartets; Mahler in the symphonies and Berg in his use of musical codes and quotations. Among Russian composers, he particularly admired Modest Mussorgsky, whose operas Boris Godunov and Khovanshchina he re-orchestrated; Mussorgsky's influence is most prominent in the wintry scenes of Lady Macbeth and the Eleventh Symphony, as well as in his satirical works such as "Rayok".^[18] Prokofiev's influence is most apparent in the earlier piano works, such as the first sonata and first concerto.^[19] The influence of Russian church and folk music is very evident in his works for unaccompanied choir of the 1950s. “Bach” redirects here. ... In music, a fugue (IPA: ) is a type of contrapuntal composition or technique of composition for a fixed number of parts, normally referred to as voices, irrespective of whether the work is vocal or instrumental. ... In music a passacaglia (French: passacaille, Spanish: pasacalle, German: passacalia; Italian: passacaglio, passagallo, passacagli, passacaglie) is a musical form and the corresponding court dance. ... “Beethoven” redirects here. ... For other uses, see Quartet (disambiguation). ... Mahler redirects here. ... Bust of Alban Berg at Schiefling, Carinthia, Austria Alban Maria Johannes Berg (February 9, 1885 – December 24, 1935) was an Austrian composer. ... Modest Petrovich Mussorgsky Modest Petrovich Mussorgsky (Russian: , Modest Petrovič Musorgskij, French: ) (March 9/21, 1839 – March 16/28, 1881), one of the Russian composers known as the Five, was an innovator of Russian music. ... For other uses, see Opera (disambiguation). ... I regard the people as a great being, inspired by a single idea. ... Khovanshchina (Russian: , Hovánščina, sometimes rendered The Khovansky Affair) is an opera (subtitled a national music drama) in five acts by Modest Mussorgsky. ... Orchestration is the study or practice of writing music for orchestra (or, more loosely, for any musical ensemble) or of adapting for orchestra music composed for another medium. ... Rayok (opus 78B, also known as Anti-formalist Rayok, Little Paradise, The Peep-show (see rayok), The Gods and A Learners Manual) is a satirical cantata for four voices, chorus and piano by Dmitri Shostakovich. ... Sergei Sergeyevich Prokofiev (Russian: , Sergej Sergejevič Prokofijev; April 27 (April 151 O.S.), 1891–March 5, 1953) was a Russian and Soviet composer who mastered numerous musical genres and came to be admired as one of the greatest composers of the 20th century. ... The Concerto in C minor for Piano, Trumpet, and String Orchestra, op. ...

Shostakovich's relationship with Stravinsky was profoundly ambivalent; as he wrote to Glikman, "Stravinsky the composer I worship. Stravinsky the thinker I despise".^[20] He was particularly enamoured of the Symphony of Psalms, presenting a copy of his own piano version of it to Stravinsky when the latter visited the USSR in 1962. (The meeting of the two composers was not a great success, however; observers commented on Shostakovich's extreme nervousness and Stravinsky's "cruelty" towards him.)^[21] Igor Stravinsky. ... The Symphony of Psalms by Igor Stravinsky was written in 1930 and was commissioned by Serge Koussevitzky to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Boston Symphony Orchestra. ...

Many commentators have noted the disjunction between the experimental works before the 1936 denunciation and the more conservative ones which followed; the composer told Flora Litvinova, "without 'Party guidance' … I would have displayed more brilliance, used more sarcasm, I could have revealed my ideas openly instead of having to resort to camouflage".^[22] Articles published by Shostakovich in 1934 and 1935 cited Berg, Schoenberg, Krenek, Hindemith, "and especially Stravinsky" among his influences.^[23] Key works of the earlier period are the First Symphony, which combined the academicism of the conservatory with his progressive inclinations; The Nose ("The most uncompromisingly modernist of all his stage-works"^[24] listen (help· info)); Lady Macbeth, which precipitated the denunciation; and the Fourth Symphony, described by Grove as "a colossal synthesis of Shostakovich's musical development to date".^[25] The Fourth Symphony was also the first in which the influence of Mahler came to the fore, prefiguring the route Shostakovich was to take to secure his rehabilitation, while he himself admitted that the preceding two were his least successful.^[26] Bust of Alban Berg at Schiefling, Carinthia, Austria Alban Maria Johannes Berg (February 9, 1885 – December 24, 1935) was an Austrian composer. ... Arnold Schoenberg, Los Angeles, 1948 Arnold Schoenberg (pronounced [ˈaːrnÉ”lt ˈʃøːnbÉ›rk]) (13 September 1874 – 13 July 1951) was an Austrian and later American composer, associated with the expressionist movement in German poetry and art, and leader of the Second Viennese School. ... Ernst Krenek (August 23, 1900 – December 22, 1991) was an Austrian born (and from 1945 an American) composer of Czech ancestry; throughout his life he insisted that his name be written Krenek rather than KÅ™enek, and that it should be pronounced as a German word. ... Paul Hindemith aged 28. ... The Symphony No. ... The Nose is a satirical opera by the Russian composer Dmitri Shostakovich. ... Image File history File links Nose_interlude. ... Lady Macbeth of the Mtsensk District (Леди Макбет Мценского уезда in Russian; Ledi Makbet Mtsenskovo Uyezda in transliteration) is an opera in four acts by the Russian composer Dmitri Shostakovich to a Russian libretto by Alexander Preis and the composer, inspired by and named after the famous story by Nikolai Leskov. ... The Symphony No. ...

In the years after 1936, Shostakovich's symphonic works were outwardly musically conservative, regardless of any subversive political content. During this time he turned increasingly to chamber works, a field which permitted the composer to explore different and often darker ideas that did not, however, invite external scrutiny.^[27] While his chamber works were largely tonal, they gave Shostakovich an outlet for sombre reflection which was not welcomed in his more public works. This is most apparent in the late chamber works, which portray what Groves has described as a "world of purgatorial numbness";^[3] in some of these he included the use of tone rows, although he treated these as melodic themes rather than serially. Vocal works are also a prominent feature of his late output, setting texts often concerned with love, death and art. Chamber music is a form of classical music, written for a small group of instruments which traditionally could be accommodated in a palace chamber. ... Illustration for Dantes Purgatorio (18), by Gustave Doré, an imaginative picturing of Purgatory. ... In music, a tone row or note row is a permutation, an arrangement or ordering, of the twelve notes of the chromatic scale. ... For other uses of serial or serialism, see Serial (disambiguation). ...

Criticism

One prominent criticism of Shostakovich has been that his symphonic work in particular is, as Shostakovich scholar Gerard McBurney summarizes, "derivative … trashy, empty and second-hand".^[28] Modern composers have also been critical. Pierre Boulez dismissed Shostakovich's music as "the second, or even third pressing of Mahler".^[29] The Romanian composer and Webern disciple Philip Gershkovich called Shostakovich "a hack in a trance".^[30] A related complaint is that Shostakovich's style is vulgar and strident: Stravinsky wrote of Lady Macbeth: "brutally hammering … and monotonous."^[31] English composer and musicologist Robin Holloway described his music as "battleship-grey in melody and harmony, factory-functional in structure; in content all rhetoric and coercion."^[32] Pierre Boulez Pierre Boulez (IPA: /pjɛʁ.buˈlÉ›z/) (born March 26, 1925) is a conductor and composer of classical music. ... Mahler redirects here. ... Anton Webern (December 3, 1883 – September 15, 1945) was an Austrian composer and conductor. ... Philip Herschkowitz Philipp Herschkowitz (Romanian: Filip HerÅŸcovici; Russian: Филипп Гершкович, Filipp Gershkovich) (September 7, 1906 – January 5, 1989) was a Romanian-born composer and music theorist, pupil of Alban Berg and Anton Webern, who spent forty-seven years, from 1940 to 1987, in the Soviet Union. ... Igor Stravinsky. ... Lady Macbeth of the Mtsensk District (Леди Макбет Мценского уезда in Russian; Ledi Makbet Mtsenskovo Uyezda in transliteration) is an opera in four acts by the Russian composer Dmitri Shostakovich to a Russian libretto by Alexander Preis and the composer, inspired by and named after the famous story by Nikolai Leskov. ... Robin Holloway (born 19 October 1943 in Leamington Spa) is an English composer. ...

It is certainly true that Shostakovich borrows extensively from the material and styles both of earlier composers and of popular music; the vulgarity of "low" music is a notable influence on this "greatest of eclectics".^[33] McBurney traces this to the avant-garde artistic circles of the early Soviet period among which Shostakovich moved early in his career, and argues that these borrowings were a deliberate technique to allow him to create "patterns of contrast, repetition, exaggeration" which gave his music the large-scale structure it required.^[34] For the music genre, see Pop music. ... A work similar to Marcel Duchamps Fountain Avant garde (written avant-garde) is a French phrase, one of many French phrases used by English speakers. ...

The Trotskyist theoretician Alan Woods puts much of this criticism down to anti-communist politicking and the professional jealousy of less accomplished composers, pointing out that Shostakovich "made no secret of his debt to Mahler and many other composers: Bach, Stravinsky, jazz and popular music, Jewish and Russian folk music. But was the music of Beethoven not rooted in the music of Mozart and Haydn? Of course it was. But did it not evolve into something entirely different - something that is unmistakably Beethoven? Of course, it did. And who can deny that the symphonies of Shostakovich, taking their starting point from Mahler, developed into an entirely different musical idiom that is unmistakably Shostakovich and nobody else but Shostakovich?"^[35] Trotskyism is the theory of Marxism as advocated by Leon Trotsky. ... Ideologies Communist internationals Prominent communists Related subjects Anti-communism refers to opposition to communism. ...

Personality

Shostakovich with close friend Ivan Sollertinsky

Shostakovich was in many ways an obsessive man: according to his daughter he was "obsessed with cleanliness";^[36] he synchronised the clocks in his apartment; he regularly sent cards to himself to test how well the postal service was working. Wilson's Shostakovich: A Life Remembered indexes 26 references to his nervousness. Even as a young man, Mikhail Druskin remembers that the composer was "fragile and nervously agile".^[37] Yuri Lyubimov comments, "The fact that he was more vulnerable and receptive than other people was no doubt an important feature of his genius".^[38] In later life, Krzysztof Meyer recalled, "his face was a bag of tics and grimaces".^[39] In his lighter moods, sport was one of his main recreations, although he preferred spectating or umpiring to participating (he was a qualified football referee). His favourite football club was Zenit Leningrad, which he would watch regularly.^[40] He also enjoyed playing card games, particularly Patience. Both light and dark sides of his character were evident in his fondness for satirical writers such as Gogol, Chekhov and Mikhail Zoshchenko. The influence of the latter in particular is evident in his letters, which include wry parodies of Soviet officialese. Zoshchenko himself noted the contradictions in the composer's character: "he is … frail, fragile, withdrawn, an infinitely direct, pure child … [but he is also] hard, acid, extremely intelligent, strong perhaps, despotic and not altogether good-natured (although cerebrally good-natured)".^[41] Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Ivan Ivanovich Sollertinsky (1902 - 1944) was a Russian polymath of the Soviet period. ... Soccer redirects here. ... A referee presides over a game of association football (soccer). ... FC Zenit (Russian: Футбольный клуб Зенит Санкт-Петербург) is a Russian football club, based in Saint Petersburg. ... For the game on The Price Is Right, see Card Game (pricing game). ... This article is about the solitaire family of card games. ... Satire is a literary technique of writing or art which principally ridicules its subject (individuals, organizations, states) often as an intended means of provoking or preventing change. ... Nikolai Vasilevich Gogol (Russian: Николай Васильевич Гоголь) (March 31, 1809 - March 4, 1852) was a Ukrainian-born Russian writer. ... Anton Pavlovich Chekhov (Russian: , IPA: ) was a Russian short story writer and playwright. ... Mikhail Mikhailovich Zoshchenko (1895 - 1958) was a Russian satirist of the Soviet period. ... An acrolect is a register of a spoken language that is considered formal and high-style. ...

He was diffident by nature: Flora Litvinova has said he was "completely incapable of saying 'No' to anybody".^[42] This meant he was easily persuaded to sign official statements, including a denunciation of Andrei Sakharov in 1973; on the other hand he was willing to try to help constituents in his capacities as chairman of the Composers' Union and Deputy to the Supreme Soviet. Oleg Prokofiev commented that "he tried to help so many people that … less and less attention was paid to his pleas".^[43] Andrei Sakharov, 1943 For the historian, see Andrey Nikolayevich Sakharov. ... The Supreme Soviet (Russian: , Verhovniy Sovet, literally the Supreme Council) comprised the highest legislative body in the Soviet Union in the interim of the sessions of the Congress of Soviets, and the only one with the power to pass constitutional amendments. ...

Shostakovich represented himself in some works with the DSCH motif, consisting of D-E♭-C-B.

image created by User: Markalexander100; This image has been released into the public domain by the copyright holder, its copyright has expired, or it is ineligible for copyright. ... image created by User: Markalexander100; This image has been released into the public domain by the copyright holder, its copyright has expired, or it is ineligible for copyright. ... The DSCH motif DSCH is a musical motif used by the Russian composer Dmitri Shostakovich to represent himself, in the manner of the BACH motif of Johann Sebastian Bach. ...

Orthodoxy and revisionism

Main article: Testimony (book)

Shostakovich's response to official criticism and, more importantly, the question of whether he used music as a kind of abstract dissidence is a matter of dispute. It is clear that outwardly he conformed to government policies and positions, reading speeches and putting his name to articles expressing the government line. It is also generally agreed that he disliked the regime, a view confirmed by his family, his letters to Isaak Glikman, and the satirical cantata "Rayok", which ridiculed the "anti-formalist" campaign and was kept hidden until after his death. Testimony is a book (ISBN 0-87910-021-4) that was published in October 1979 by the Russian musicologist Solomon Volkov. ... A cantata (Italian, sung) is a vocal composition with an instrumental accompaniment and generally containing more than one movement. ... Rayok (opus 78B, also known as Anti-formalist Rayok, Little Paradise, The Peep-show (see rayok), The Gods and A Learners Manual) is a satirical cantata for four voices, chorus and piano by Dmitri Shostakovich. ...

It is also uncertain to what extent Shostakovich expressed his opposition to the state in his music. The revisionist view was put forth by Solomon Volkov in the 1979 book Testimony, which was claimed to be Shostakovich's memoirs dictated to Volkov. The book alleged that many of the composer's works contained coded anti-government messages. It is known that he incorporated many quotations and motifs in his work, most notably his signature DSCH theme. His longtime collaborator Evgeny Mravinsky said that "Shostakovich very often explained his intentions with very specific images and connotations".^[44] The revisionist perspective has subsequently been supported by his children, Maxim and Galina, and many Russian musicians. More recently, Volkov has argued that Shostakovich adopted the role of the yurodivy or holy fool in his relations with the government. Shostakovich's widow Irina supports the general revisionist thesis but denies the authenticity of Testimony. Other prominent revisionists are Ian MacDonald, whose book The New Shostakovich put forward more interpretations of his music, and Elizabeth Wilson, whose Shostakovich: A Life Remembered provides testimony from many of the composer's acquaintances. In Parson Weems Fable (1939) Grant Wood takes a sly poke at a traditional hagiographical account of George Washington Historical revisionism has both a legitimate academic use and a pejorative meaning. ... Solomon Volkov (born 1944) is a Russian musicologist. ... Testimony is a book (ISBN 0-87910-021-4) that was published in October 1979 by the Russian musicologist Solomon Volkov. ... In music, a motif is a perceivable or salient reoccurring fragment or succession of notes that may used to construct the entirety or parts of complete melodies, themes. ... The DSCH motif DSCH is a musical motif used by the Russian composer Dmitri Shostakovich to represent himself, in the manner of the BACH motif of Johann Sebastian Bach. ... Yevgeny Aleksandrovich Mravinsky (Russian: , Evgenij Aleksandrovič Mravinskij; 4 June [O.S. 22 May] 1903–January 19, 1988) was a Russian conductor. ... The yurodivy (accented on the second syllable, юро́дивый) is the Russian version of the holy fool. ... A fool can refer to: Look up fool in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Ian MacCormick (October 3, 1948 – August 20, 2003), who wrote under the pseudonym Ian MacDonald, was a British music critic and author, best known for his detailed history of The Beatles. ...

Tombstone of Shostakovich, showing his D-E♭-C-B motif. Novodevichy Cemetery, Moscow.

Many musicians and scholars (notably Laurel Fay and Richard Taruskin) contest the authenticity (and debate the significance) of Testimony, alleging that Volkov compiled it from a combination of recycled articles, gossip, and possibly some information direct from the composer. Fay substantiates these allegations in her 2002 article 'Volkov's Testimony reconsidered', showing that the only pages of the original Testimony manuscript that Shostakovich had signed and verified are in fact word-for-word reproductions of earlier interviews given by the composer, none of which are controversial. More broadly, they argue that the significance of Shostakovich is in his music rather than his life, and that to seek political messages in the music detracts from, rather than enhances, its artistic value. Grave of Anton Chekhov Novodevichy Cemetery (Новодевичье кла́дбище, Novodevichye kladbishche) is the most famous cemetery in Moscow, Russia, situated next to the World Heritage Site, the 16th-century Novodevichy Convent, which is the citys third most popular tourist site. ... For other uses, see Moscow (disambiguation). ... Richard Taruskin is an American musicologist and music historian specializing in theory of performance, Russian music, fifteenth-century music, twentieth-century music, nationalism, theory of modernism, and analysis. ...

Recorded legacy

In 1957, during a visit to Paris, Shostakovich recorded his two piano concertos with Andre Cluytens, as well as some short piano works. These were issued by EMI on an LP, reissued by Seraphim Records on LP, and eventually digitally remastered and released on CD. Shostakovich was also a featured soloist in other recordings; he was the pianist in a CD featuring the Sonata, Op. 40, for Cello and Piano with cellist Daniil Shafran, the Sonata, Op. 134, for Violin and Piano with violinist David Oistrakh, and the Trio, Op. 67, for Violin, Cello, and Piano with violinist David Oistrakh and cellist Milos Sadlo. Relatively few recordings of Shostakovich's piano playing have been released; it is unclear whether there are any recordings of Shostakovich conducting his music. This article is about the capital of France. ... André Cluytens (March 26, 1905 - June 3, 1967) was a Belgian-born French conductor. ... For other uses, see EMI (disambiguation). ... Seraphim record label, circa 1970 Seraphim Records is a sister label of Angel Records. ... David Fyodorovich Oistrakh (Ukrainian: Давид Фeдорович Ойстрах), David Fiodorovič Ojstrah; September 30 [O.S. September 17] 1908 – October 24, 1974) was a Soviet violinist who made many recordings and was the dedicatee of numerous violin works. ... Milos Sadlo (13 April 1912 – 14 October 2003)[1] a Czech cellist was born in Prague, Czech Republic. ...

Awards

Soviet Union

• Hero of Socialist Labor (1966)
• Order of Lenin (1946, 1956, 1966)
• Order of the October Revolution (1971)
• Order of the Red Banner of Labour (1940)
• Order of Friendship of Peoples (1972)
• People's Artist of the USSR (1954)
• Lenin Prize (1958)
• State Stalin Prize in arts (1941, 1941, 1942, 1946, 1946, 1948, 1949, 1949, 1949, 1950, 1952)

Hero of Socialist Labor (Герой Социалистического Труда in Russian, or Geroy Sotsialisticheskogo Truda) was an honorary title in the Soviet Union and the highest degree of distinction for exceptional achievements in national economy and culture. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... The Order of Lenin (Russian: Орден Ленина, Orden Lenina), named after the leader of the Russian October Revolution, was the highest national order of the Soviet Union. ... Image File history File links Ribbon bar for the Soviet decoration Order of Lenin. ... Image File history File links Ribbon bar for the Soviet decoration Order of Lenin. ... Image File history File links Ribbon bar for the Soviet decoration Order of Lenin. ... The Order of the October Revolution was instituted on October 31, 1967, in time for the 50th anniversary of the October Revolution. ... Order of the October Revolution ribbon File links The following pages link to this file: Awards and decorations of the Soviet Union Ribbons of Soviet Union Decorations Categories: User-created public domain images ... The Order of the Red Banner of Labour was an Order (decoration) of the Soviet Union for accomplishments in labour and civil service. ... Order of the Red Banner of Labor ribbon File links The following pages link to this file: Order of the Red Banner User:Zscout370/Images Soviet military awards and decorations Categories: User-created public domain images ... The Order of Friendship of Peoples (Russian: ) was an order of the Soviet Union, and was awarded to persons (including non-citizens), organizations, enterprises, military units, as well as administrative subdivisions of the USSR for accomplishments in strengthening of inter-ethnical and international friendship and cooperation, for economical, political, scientifical... File links The following pages link to this file: Awards and decorations of the Soviet Union Ribbons of Soviet Union Decorations Categories: User-created public domain images ... Maria Yermolova, first Peoples Artist of the Republic (1920). ... Lenin Prize (Russian: Ле́нинская пре́мия) was one of the highest awards in the Soviet Union. ... The USSR State Prize (Russian:Госуда́рственная пре́мия СССР) was the Soviet Unions highest civilian honour. ...

United States

• Oscar nomination for Khovanshchina, Best Score (Musical) in 1961

Although he never won an Oscar for any of his movie performances, the comedian Bob Hope received two honorary Oscars for his contributions to cinema. ... The Academy Award for Original Music Score is presented to the best substantial body of music in the form of dramatic underscoring written specifically for the film by the submitting composer. ... The 34th Academy Awards, honoring the best in film for 1961, were held on April 9, 1962 at the Santa Monica Civic Auditorium in Santa Monica, California. ...

United Kingdom

• Gold Medal of the Royal Philharmonic Society (1966)

The Royal Philharmonic Society is a British music society, formed in 1813. ...

Austria

• Grand Decoration of Honour in Silver for Services to the Republic of Austria (1967)

The Republic of Austria (German: Republik Österreich) is a landlocked country in Central Europe. ...

Denmark

• Sonning Award (1973)

The Léonie Sonning Music Prize, or Sonning Award, which is recognized as Denmarks highest musical honor, is given annually to an international musician. ...

In popular culture

David Pownall's play Master Class portrays the inquisition of the composers Shostakovich and Sergei Prokofiev by Joseph Stalin and Andrei Zhdanov in 1948. The dictator orders the artists to compose music that is in line with Party policy. David Pownall A critically acclaimed and prize winning author of plays, novels and short stories David Pownall graduated from Keele in 1960, in English and History. ... Sergei Sergeyevich Prokofiev (Russian: , Sergej Sergejevič Prokofijev; April 27 (April 151 O.S.), 1891–March 5, 1953) was a Russian and Soviet composer who mastered numerous musical genres and came to be admired as one of the greatest composers of the 20th century. ... Josef Vissarionovich Dzhugashvili (Georgian: , Ioseb Besarionis Dze Jughashvili; Russian: , Iosif Vissarionovich Dzhugashvili) (December 18 [O.S. December 6] 1878[1] – March 5, 1953), better known by his adopted name, Joseph Stalin (alternatively transliterated Josef Stalin), was General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Unions Central Committee from... Andrei Zhdanov Andrei Aleksandrovich Zhdanov (Андре́й Алекса́ндрович Жда́нов) (February 26 [O.S. February 14] 1896–August 31, 1948) was a Soviet politician. ...

The novel Europe Central, by William T. Vollman, contains a semi-fictional love triangle between Shostakovich, filmmaker Roman Karmen, and Elena Konstantinovskaya. Europe Central is a 2005 National Book Award winning novel by William T Vollmann. ... William T. Vollmann (born July 28, 1959 in Santa Monica, California) is an American novelist, journalist, short story writer and essayist. ... The film director, on the right, gives last minute direction to the cast and crew, whilst filming a costume drama on location in London. ... Roman Karmen (16 November 1906 – April 1975) was a Soviet war camera-man and film director and one of the most influential figures in documentary film making; he could be considered Russias answer to Leni Riefenstahl. ...

The "Waltz 2" from Suite for Variety Stage Orchestra is featured in Stanley Kubrick's final film, Eyes Wide Shut (for years misidentified as the composer's Jazz Suite 2). Suite for Variety Stage Orchestra is a suite in eight movements by Dimitri Shostakovich. ... Kubrick redirects here. ... Eyes Wide Shut is a 1999 drama-mystery-thriller film directed, produced, and co-written by Stanley Kubrick, based on the novella Traumnovelle (in English Dream Story) by Arthur Schnitzler. ... The Suite for Jazz Orchestra No. ...

A rendition of the "Second Waltz" by popular violinist Andre Rieu was a Top Ten ranking single in Holland in 1995. ^[45] It's still a favourite crowd sing-along at Rieu concerts. Several performance videos can currently (2008) be viewed on Youtube. André Rieu (born October 1, 1949 in Maastricht, Holland) is a Dutch violinist and conductor. ... YouTube is a popular video sharing website where users can upload, view and share video clips. ...

Notes

Year 2007 (MMVII) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. ... is the 289th day of the year (290th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Barbican Arts Centre and lakeside terrace Interior - concert hall foyer; library and gallery above The Barbican Arts Centre is an arts venue at the eastern edge of the Barbican Estate in the City of London, England. ... This article is about the capital of England and the United Kingdom. ... is the 357th day of the year (358th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 322nd day of the year (323rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 322nd day of the year (323rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 238th day of the year (239th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2000 (MM) was a leap year starting on Saturday. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. ... is the 287th day of the year (288th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 356th day of the year (357th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 2008 (MMVIII) is the current year, a leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common Era (or Anno Domini), in accordance with the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 113th day of the year (114th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 358th day of the year (359th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. ...

References

• Ardov, Michael (2004). Memories of Shostakovich. Short Books. ISBN 1-904095-64-X. 
• Fay, Laurel (2002). "Volkov's Testimony Reconsidered", in Hamrick Brown, Malcolm (ed): A Shostakovich Casebook. Indiana University Press. ISBN 0-253-21823-3. 
• Fay, Laurel (2001). "Dmitri Shostakovich", Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians. Macmillan Publishers. 
• Fay, Laurel (1999). Shostakovich: A Life. Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-513438-9. 
• Haas, David. "Shostakovich's Eighth: C minor Symphony against the Grain", in Bartlett (ed): Shostakovich in Context. 
• Ho, Allan; Dmitry Feofanov (1998). Shostakovich Reconsidered. Toccata Press. ISBN 0-907689-56-6. 
• MacDonald, Ian (1990). The New Shostakovich. Northeastern University Press. ISBN 1-55553-089-3. 
• MacDonald, Ian. Shostakovichiana. Music Under Soviet Rule. Retrieved on August 17, 2005.
• McBurney, Gerard (2002). "Whose Shostakovich?", in Hamrick Brown, Malcolm (ed): A Shostakovich Casebook. Indiana University Press. ISBN 0-253-21823-3. 
• van Rijen, Onno. Opus by Shostakovich. Shostakovich & Other Soviet Composers. Retrieved on August 17, 2005.
• Shostakovich, Dmitri; Glikman, Isaak; tr. Phillips, Anthony (2001). Story of a Friendship: The Letters of Dmitry Shostakovich to Isaak Glikman. Cornell University Press. ISBN 0-8014-3979-5. 
• Shostakovich, Dmitri; Volkov, Solomon (2000). Testimony, 7th edition, Proscenium (publisher). ISBN 0-87910-021-4. 
• Volkov, Solomon (2004). Shostakovich and Stalin: The Extraordinary Relationship Between the Great Composer and the Brutal Dictator. Knopf. ISBN 0-375-41082-1. 
• Wilson, Elizabeth (1994). Shostakovich: A Life Remembered. Princeton University Press. ISBN 0-691-04465-1. 

Second Edition, shelved The Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians is an encyclopedic dictionary of music and musicians and is regarded as the most authoritative reference source on the subject in the English language. ... Testimony is a book (ISBN 0-87910-021-4) that was published in October 1979 by the Russian musicologist Solomon Volkov. ... Solomon Volkov (born 1944) is a Russian musicologist. ...

External links

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to:

Dmitri Shostakovich

Wikimedia Commons has media related to:

Dmitri Shostakovich

• Complete opus list, comprehensive discography, bibliography, filmography, list of first performances and links by Yosuke Kudo
• Sikorski’s Shostakovich Catalogue, complete chronological list of works, with many comments
• The New Collected Works (published by DSCH)
• Journey of Dmitri Shostakovich An Interview with Filmmaker Helga Landauer
• Epitonic.com: Dimitri Shostakovich featuring tracks from Written With The Heart's Blood
• Archive of BBC's "Discovering Music" radio show, featuring Shostakovich's Symphony No. 5, Symphony No. 10, String Quartet No. 8, and Cello Concerto No. 1.
• Various pieces of him in streaming media by Classical Music Archives
• Video of Shostakovich, at a rehearsal of his opera The Nose in 1975
• BBC Presenter Stephen Johnson on Shoshtakovich and Depression
• Shostakovich: Revolutionary life, revolutionary legacy, Weekly Worker, December 21, 2000

A composer is a person who writes music. ... is the 268th day of the year (269th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1906 (MCMVI) was a common year starting on Monday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Sunday of the 13-day-slower Julian calendar). ... Saint Petersburg (Russian: Санкт-Петербу́рг, English transliteration: Sankt-Peterburg), colloquially known as Питер (transliterated Piter), formerly known as Leningrad (Ленингра́д, 1924–1991) and Petrograd (Петрогра́д, 1914–1924), is a city located in Northwestern Russia on the delta of the river Neva at the east end of the Gulf of Finland... is the 221st day of the year (222nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1975 (MCMLXXV) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... For other uses, see Moscow (disambiguation). ...