Born:
25 September 1906; Saint Petersburg, Russia
Died:
9 August 1975; Moscow, Russia
Nationality:
Russian
Occupation:
Composer, Pianist
Dmitri Shostakovich was a Russian
(former Soviet) composer and pianist, who was born on September 25, 1906, and
died on August 9, 1975, and is considered one of the major composers of the
20th century.
Birthplace of Shostakovich
Shostakovich gained fame in the
Soviet Union under the patronage of Mikhail Tukhachevsky, who served as the
chief of staff of the Soviet military, but later, he had a complex and
difficult relationship with the Soviet government, including the Soviet
government’s banning of his works. Nevertheless, he received state awards and
served in the Supreme Soviet of the RSFSR and the Supreme Soviet of the Soviet
Union.
Shostakovich (c.1950)
Shostakovich was heavily influenced by the neoclassical style pioneered
by Igor Stravinsky, and by the late Romanticism of Gustav Mahler, especially in
his symphonies.
Sergei Prokofiev, Shostakovich, Aram Khachaturian (Left to right) (1945)
His orchestral works include 15
symphonies and 6 concerti, and the chamber works include 15 string quartets,
one piano quintet, two piano trios and two string octets. His solo piano pieces
include two sonatas, several early preludes and 24 preludes and fugues.
A Russian stamp in Shostakovich's memory (2000)
Other
works include three operas, several vocal and choral music, ballet music, and a
substantial number of film music. Especially, well known film music
among them are The Second Waltz, Op. 99, music to the film The First Echelon
and the suites of music composed for The Gadfly.
The First Echelon (1955)
The Gadfly (1955)
To further explain The Second
Waltz, Op. 99, this piece is the seventh movement of The Suite for Variety
Orchestra, a suite in eight movements composed by Shostakovich. The work
consists of a collection of movements derive from other works by Shostakovich.
In addition, the title of the work is named the “Suite for Variety Stage
Orchestra” in Derek Hulme's Shostakovich catalogue. For many years, the Suite for
Variety Orchestra was misidentified as the Suite for Jazz Orchestra No. 2
(1938), a different work in three movements.
Shostakovich voting in the election of the Council of Administration of Soviet Musicians, Moscow (1974)
The Suite for Jazz Orchestra No. 2
was written by Shostakovich in 1938 for the newly founded State Jazz Orchestra
of Victor Knushevitsky. It was premiered in Moscow by the State Jazz Orchestra
on November 28, 1938. The score of the work was lost during World War II, but
in 1999 Manashir Yakubov rediscovered the piano score. In addition, the three
movements of this suite were arranged for orchestral work by Gerard McBurney,
and premiered at a London Promenade Concert in 2000.
Bust of Dmitri Shostakovich, Poland
Dmitry Shostakovich monument, Moscow, Russia
Thank you.
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