Dmitri Shostakovich

Who was Dmitri Shostakovich?

Dmitri Dmitriyevich Shostakovich was a Soviet Russian composer and pianist and a prominent figure of 20th-century music.

Shostakovich achieved fame in the Soviet Union under the patronage of Soviet chief of staff Mikhail Tukhachevsky, but later had a complex and difficult relationship with the government. Nevertheless, he received accolades and state awards and served in the Supreme Soviet of the RSFSR and the USSR.

After a period influenced by Sergei Prokofiev and Igor Stravinsky, Shostakovich developed a hybrid style, as exemplified by Lady Macbeth of the Mtsensk District. This single work juxtaposed a wide variety of trends, including the neo-classical style and post-Romanticism. Sharp contrasts and elements of the grotesque characterize much of his music.

Shostakovich's orchestral works include 15 symphonies and six concerti. His chamber output includes 15 string quartets, a piano quintet, two piano trios, and two pieces for string octet. His piano works include two solo sonatas, an early set of preludes, and a later set of 24 preludes and fugues. Other works include three operas, several song cycles, ballets, and a substantial quantity of film music, especially well known The Second Waltz, Op. 99: Music to the film The First Echelon.