Shostakovich, Dmitri

A Russian composer with a career varied with the political climate since the Communist Revolution of 1917. Graduating from the Saint Peterburg conservatory, he became prominent at an early age, as a pianist and composer. He is considered the greatest symphonist of the 20th century (with fifteen symphonies), and the man who gave symphony its honor back, in this era.

Son of a widow, he supported his family by playing at cinemas, but also acquired knowledge in composing, and by the age of 19 wrote his First Symphony, one of his best. As a pianist, he won a prize in the "Chopin contest".

He started writing operas, too, such as "Lady Macbeth" that was very successful but was also condemned by the Soviet Union's communist government, for his modern music and the "rotten" ideas in this opera, and as his redemption, he composed the Fifth Symphony (carrying the subtitle: "creative reply of a Soviet artist to just criticism"). Shostakovich also joined the effort against the Nazis, in his 7th "Leningrad Symphony". The work was written during the German siege on the city of Leningrad, and dedicated to the common Soviet citizen "who became a war hero".

In 1948 he was once again condemned by the Soviet regime, together with Prokofiev and Khachaturian, who also rose Stalin's (Soviet Union leader) anger. After the leader's death, he went back to writing personal pieces, including hidden criticism, among which Symphony No. 10, also considered one of his best.

Shostakovich also wrote chamber music (including fifteen String Quartets) and various concerti, as the Concerto for Piano and Trumpet, incorporating elements of jazz.

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