Shostakovich And Stalin by Solomon Volkov
Music illuminates a person and provides him with his last hope; even Stalin, a butcher, knew that...' So said the Russian composer Dmitri Shostakovich, who spent his life battling for the right to create his works under the Soviet Union's totalitarian regime. This proved dangerous under the autocratic Stalin, who perceived himself to be an erudite critic of modern culture. So when he stormed out of the performance of Shostakovich's opera 'Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk' in 1936, the composer feared he would be arrested and killed. Instead, the 'supreme leader' played a game of cat and mouse. He would attack Shostakovich in Pravda and ban his music from the airwaves. Then he would honour him with prestigious awards. Stalin's goal was to remain unpredictable, and thus afford Shostakovich no sense of personal security, although he continued to compose stirring symphonies that drew him millions of fans. This is a fascinating and important story told by one of the greatest authorities on Russian culture in the Soviet years.
An eye-opening look at the intersection of art and political power* KIRKUS REVIEWS *
Salutary reading. * CLASSIC FM MAGAZINE *
Salutary reading. * CLASSIC FM MAGAZINE *
Solomon Volkov worked with Shostakovich on his memoirs and collected letters and is an acknowledged expert on the composer.
| SKU | Unavailable |
| ISBN 13 | 9780316861410 |
| ISBN 10 | 0316861413 |
| Title | Shostakovich And Stalin |
| Author | Solomon Volkov |
| Condition | Unavailable |
| Binding Type | Paperback |
| Publisher | Little, Brown & Company |
| Year published | 2004-03-25 |
| Number of pages | 384 |
| Cover note | Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary. |
| Note | Unavailable |