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Dmitri Shostakovich was a Russian composer most prominent during the Soviet era, born on September 25th, 1906 in St.
Petersburg. His life and times extend into some very complex social dwellings, and often question many ethical and moral
norms. His mother first noticed a peculiar amount of musical talent, particularly for the piano, at just the modest age of
eight. During his teens, he went on to compose a lot of music, after having being solely trained by his mother. At just the
age of thirteen he was accepted into the Petrograd Conservatory of Music.
After his final gr ...read more
Dmitri Shostakovich was a Russian composer most prominent during the Soviet era, born on September 25th, 1906 in St.
Petersburg. His life and times extend into some very complex social dwellings, and often question many ethical and moral
norms. His mother first noticed a peculiar amount of musical talent, particularly for the piano, at just the modest age of
eight. During his teens, he went on to compose a lot of music, after having being solely trained by his mother. At just the
age of thirteen he was accepted into the Petrograd Conservatory of Music.
After his final graduation there, he went on to pursue a career mainly in composition, but also that of a concert pianist. His
playing style was widely regarded as immoral to many of the compositions he played of other composers. This public rejection
led him to quickly move solely into composition, and more importantly, concert performer of his sole works only. While such a
public reaction would have scared his persona, it did give him the necessary push towards a career that would land him in
more comfortable terrain.
From 1926, to 1932, Shostakovich composed four symphonies, among other works. His first, composed at the age of 20 was
a minor success, and from then on, consequent symphonies further gained him wider musical approval. He wasn't however
without his critics, who were quick to reject much of his music as recycled Mahler material. Certainly for Shostakovich, the
music of Mahler, Stravinsky and Prokofiev played a major part in his musical development, but to simply denounce his music as
recycled material nowadays is widely disregarded.
Unfortunately for him, and many others, he himself was quickly denounced within his own homeland. The ever increasingly
powerful iron fist of Joseph Stalin’s regime was gouging the landscape wherever it touched. The result of this battering of
media criticism was his Fifth Symphony - a reply of sorts to that criticism. The fifth saw a much more conventional
symphonic approach, perhaps a last effort to silence the crowd. Four years later, World War II plagued much of Europe, and
the infamous Siege of Leningrad took hold upon the city's populace. During this increasingly uncertain time, he composed the
initial movements of his Seventh Symphony whilst waiting out the German attacking force for over two years. His seventh, is
certainly his most patriotic musical attempt with its four movement structure heralding the titles "War," "Memories," "My
Native Field," and finally "Victory," celebrating thelift of the siege.
Even though his seventh served for him a celebration of freedom, or at least that of his fellow citizens, his music was still
generally restrained. It wasn't until Stalin's death in 1953 that saw the liberation of many artists to finally be able to express
themselves in a manner they dictated. For that reason, Shostakovich produced many illustrations of the time, from his Piano
Concerto No. 2, to his widely acclaimed Tenth Symphony and other chamber works. Also during this time his work finally
pushed through the barriers so many government committees placed before him.
In 1960, he joined the Communist Party, which for many concluded the belief that he was merely giving into to political
pressure at the time. Such a dramatic move still generates ill responses amongst the public to this day. Despite pressure
from his third wife and relatives to give up bad habits such as heavy drinking and smoking, Shostakovich maintained his usual
stubbornness towards his health. Unfortunately, this deemed that his later life was to be spent mostly under medical
supervision as he was now suffering from chronic illness, meaning also that his musical ties were coming to a slow and grinding
halt. After finally composing his Fifteenth Symphony in 1971, again a return to his earlier influences of impressionist
composers, Shostakovichdied from a length battle with lung cancer on August 9th, 1975.
He left behind a musical legacy for his son in particular who went on to perform and record many of his works. As well as his
acclaimed symphonies, he also composed a large file of film music, wrote a classic yet Shostakovich driven 24 Preludes and
Fugues, as well as two operas, an array of concertos and countless other works. Most are rarely performed, however some
still continue to make their mark upon society to this day, such as those which were used at the 2004 Olympic’s opening
ceremony. While his music a lot of the time spoked as blips on the radar, Shostakovich’s music will always continue to inspire
the current generation of composers, who commonly attribute him as one of their major influences. « hide |
Similar Bands: Sergei Prokofiev, Igor Stravinsky, Gustav Mahler, Galina Ustvolskaya
Contributors: GiaNXGX, liledman, taylormemer,
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