Dmitri Shostakovich

Dmitri Shostakovich, born and raised in St. Petersburg, studied at its fabled Conservatory in the aftermath of World War I and the Russian Revolutions of 1917. His teachers there included Leonid Nikolayev (piano) and Maximilian Steinberg (composition). With the premiere of his graduation piece, the First Symphony, in 1926, Shostakovich's exceptional career was launched. He quickly established himself at the forefront of young Soviet composers.

Shostakovich was fortunate in attracting some of the most gifted performers of the era — Yevgeny Mravinsky, David Oistrakh, and Mstislav Rostropovich among them — as ardent champions of his music. In his last years, he turned increasingly from large-scale "public" works to music of confessional intimacy, concentrating on the genre of string quartet and vocal music.

A highly politicized figure during his lifetime and since — because of a high-profile career carved out in the conditions of Communist dictatorship coupled with the immense emotive power of his music — by the time of his widely-celebrated centennial in 2006 Shostakovich was hailed by common consensus as one of the greatest twentieth-century composers. A substantial body of his large and varied musical output has established itself firmly in the standard repertory.

Dmitri Shostakovich, born and raised in St. Petersburg, studied at its fabled Conservatory in the aftermath of World War I and the Russian Revolutions of 1917. His teachers there included Leonid Nikolayev (piano) and Maximilian Steinberg (composition). With the premiere of his graduation piece, the First Symphony, in 1926, Shostakovich's exceptional career was launched. He quickly established himself at the forefront of young Soviet composers. Over the next several years he experimented with avant-garde techniques and became actively involved in the theatrical world; his phenomenal natural abilities and versatility made him a collaborator sought after by theater and film directors, opera and ballet companies.

Two years after his second opera, Lady Macbeth of the Mtsensk District, had scored a sensational triumph and established itself securely in the repertory, Stalin went to see it in January 1936. A few days later, Shostakovich and his opera were subjected to brutal, state-sponsored attacks. The opera disappeared from the boards. In the process of completing his Fourth Symphony at the time, Shostakovich was subsequently forced to withdraw it, his most ambitious symphony, from rehearsal. It would receive its first performance only a quarter-century later. His Fifth Symphony, publicly unveiled amidst apprehension at the height of the Stalinist "terror" in 1937, proved a resounding success. The composer's reputation was rehabilitated. The Fifth Symphony remains one of his most popular works to this day.During World War II, Shostakovich responded to the Nazi invasion of Russia and Hitler's blockade of his native city by composing his Seventh Symphony ("Dedicated to the city of Leningrad"). Extensively performed throughout Russia — even in blockaded Leningrad — it became an inspiring symbol of heroic resistance. At the time it received its American premiere, in July 1942, Shostakovich was featured on the cover of Time magazine. In 1948, Shostakovich's music was once again the target of official condemnation. Only after Stalin's death in 1953 and the premiere of the composer's Tenth Symphony was he able to reclaim his legitimate position as the most eminent and influential among Soviet composers, a status that remained unchallenged for the rest of his life. His official stature enabled him to take risks in his compositions, such as setting controversial texts (including "Babi Yar") by the poet Yevgeny Yevtushenko in his Thirteenth Symphony.

Shostakovich was fortunate in attracting some of the most gifted performers of the era — Yevgeny Mravinsky, David Oistrakh, and Mstislav Rostropovich among them — as ardent champions of his music. In his last years, he turned increasingly from large-scale "public" works to music of confessional intimacy, concentrating on the genre of string quartet and vocal music.A highly politicized figure during his lifetime and since — because of a high-profile career carved out in the conditions of Communist dictatorship coupled with the immense emotive power of his music — by the time of his widely-celebrated centennial in 2006 Shostakovich was hailed by common consensus as one of the greatest twentieth-century composers. A substantial body of his large and varied musical output has established itself firmly in the standard repertory.

- William Kentridge, Shostakovich 10 at the New York Philharmonic
- 4th December 2024
- On December 5–7, 2024, the New York Philharmonic performs Symphony No. 10 by Dmitri Shostakovich, accompanied by the animated film 'Oh To Believe in Another World' by South African visual artist and filmmaker William Kentridge.
- World Premiere Recordings of Songs by Gabriela Lena Frank
- 2nd August 2022
- Art Song Colorado and the Denver Art Song Project have an upcoming album, El Rebelde, featuring music by Gabriela Lena Frank and Shostakovich. Performed by tenor Javier Abreu, baritone Andrew Garland, and pianist Jeremy Reger.
- Wise Music Group at the 63rd GRAMMY Awards
- 22nd March 2021
- Wise Music Group is delighted to announce that several commercial recordings we are associated with through our writers have garnered awards at this year’s 63rd GRAMMY Awards. With six awards in total, we are...
- Maestros of Dance: In Conversation with Beatrice Jona Affron
- 22nd June 2020
- Beatrice Jona Affron arrived at Pennsylvania Ballet in 1993 as assistant conductor, swiftly promoted to resident conductor and in 1997 became the company's music director and conductor.A graduate of Yale University...
- Maestros of Dance: In Conversation with David Briskin
- 4th June 2020
- Music Director and Principal Conductor of The National Ballet of Canada since 2006, David Briskin is widely recognized as one of contemporary ballet's most accomplished conductors, noted both for the range of his...
- A Collection of Chamber Operas
- 25th February 2020
- The following chamber operas offer a more intimate experience for captivating your audiences’ hearts and minds. Varying in size, language and content, the selections below offer repertoire for a wide range of...

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23rd April 2025

Symphony No. 10 in E Minor

PERFORMERS: NYU Orchestra

CONDUCTOR: David Bloom

LOCATION: Iris Cantor Theater, New York, NY, United States of America

24th April 2025

Symphony No. 10 in E Minor

PERFORMERS: Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France

CONDUCTOR: Mikko Franck

LOCATION: Grand théâtre de Provence, Aix en Provence, France

25th April 2025

Symphony No. 11 in G Minor, 'The Year 1905'

PERFORMERS: Colorado Symphony

CONDUCTOR: Peter Oundjian

LOCATION: Boettcher Concert Hall, Denver, CO, United States of America

25th April 2025

Symphony No. 10 in E Minor

PERFORMERS: Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France

CONDUCTOR: Mikko Franck

LOCATION: Philharmonie, Paris, France

25th April 2025

Concerto for Cello No. 1

SOLOISTS: Gautier Capuçon

PERFORMERS: Orchestre du Festival Pablo Casals

CONDUCTOR: Pierre Bleuse

LOCATION: Grand Théâtre, Aix en Provence, France

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