San Antonio College Library

As the Soviet Union's foremost composer, Shostakovich's status in the West has always been problematic. Regarded by some as a collaborator, and by others as a symbol of moral resistance, both he and his music met with approval and condemnation in equal measure. The demise of the Communist state has, if anything, been accompanied by a bolstering of his reputation, but critical engagement with his multi-faceted achievements has been patchy. This Companion...

This study examines particularly those works in which the struggle between artistic integrity and political necessity is apparent, and shows how, in spite of all, Shostakovich has maintained a consistent and sincere viewpoint in his music.

What were Dmitri Shostakovich's views about his homeland? Until 1979 the Soviet Union's official composer was considered a staunch supporter of Joseph Stalin and his successors. This assumption was then challenged with the publication of Testimony, ostensibly the composer's memoirs as told to Solomon Volkov, in which Shostakovich emerged as a dissident. Serious reservations persist to this day about the integrity and validity of Testimony, but Volkov...

"For this authoritative biography of Shostakovich's illustrious but turbulent career under Soviet rule, Laurel E. Fay has gone back to primary documents: Shostakovich's many letters, concert programs and reviews, newspaper articles, and diaries of his contemporaries. An indefatigable worker, he composed his arresting scores despite deprivations during the Nazi invasion and constant surveillance under Stalin's regime." "Shostakovich's life is a fascinating...

Studies the social, cultural, and political spheres that affected the lives and works of approximately 50 composers.