How
are you?
This
week's lecture is “Dmitri Shostakovich”, the 24th and last topic of “Classical Music”, which is a summary of the
contents of “109. Classical Music: 24. Dmitri
Shostakovich” introduced on November 4th, 2017.
Dmitri Shostakovich was a Soviet-era Russian composer and pianist born on September 25, 1906 and died on August 9, 1975. He is regarded as one of the major and most popular composers of the 20th century.
 |
| Birthplace of Shostakovich |
Shostakovich
gained fame in the Soviet Union under the patronage of Mikhail Tukhachevsky,
the Soviet chief of staff, but later had a complicated relationship with the
government, from which he got state awards and privileges. He also held
bureaucratic posts during his lifetime, including activity in the Supreme
Soviet of the Soviet Union from 1962 until his death.
 |
| Mikhail Tukhachevsky |
Shostakovich
combined a variety of musical techniques into his work, whose music is
characterized by sharp contrasts, elements of the grotesque and ambivalent
tonality. He was also heavily influenced by the neoclassical style pioneered by
Igor Stravinsky and, particularly in his symphonies, by Gustav Mahler's late
Romanticism.
 |
| Igor Stravinsky |
 |
| Gustav Mahler |
Shostakovich's orchestral works include 15 symphonies and 6 concerti. His chamber works include fifteen string quartets, one piano quintet, two piano trios and two for string octet. His piano solo works include two sonatas, an early collection of 24 preludes, and a later collection of 24 preludes and fugues. His other works include three operas, three ballets, several song cycles, and a significant amount of music for theatre and film.
 |
| Shostakovich (1950) |
Among the film music he made, the waltz
from the 1955 film “The First Echelon” and the suite of music from the film
“The Gadfly”, are especially famous.
 |
| The First Echelon |
 |
| The Gadfly |
Thank
you.
