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Dmitri Shostakovich(1906-1975)

  • Music Department
  • Composer
  • Writer
IMDbProStarmeterSee rank
Dmitri Shostakovich
Trailer for Shostakovich Against Stalin - The War Symphonies
Play trailer1:05
The War Symphonies: Shostakovich Against Stalin (1997)
1 Video
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Dmitri Shostakovich, one of Russian culture's most acclaimed intellectuals who was censored under the dictatorship of Iosif Stalin, was an internationally recognized composer whose music was in over 100 films.

He was born Dmitri Dmitrievich Shostakovich on September 25, 1906, in St. Petersburg, Russia. He was the second of three children of Dmitri Boleslavovich Shostakovich, a chemical engineer, and Sofia Kokaoulina, a pianist. Young Shostakovich studied piano under his mother tutelage and at a private school in St. Petersburg. His greatest influences were Johann Sebastian Bach, Ludwig van Beethoven and Modest Mussorgsky. From 1919-1925 he studied piano and composition at St. Petersburg (Leningrad) Conservatory. He wrote his First "Classical" symphony as his graduation piece. In 1927 he won an "honorable mention diploma" at the 1st International Piano Competition in Warsaw. In 1929 he collaborated with writer Vladimir Mayakovsky, artist Alexander Rodchenko and director Vsevolod Meyerhold.

In 1934 Shostakovich collaborated with Aleksei Dikij on the legendary opera Katerina Izmailova" (aka Lady Makbeth of Mtsensk). Dikij's production of "Katerina Izmailova" had over 100 performances in Leningrad and Moscow, and was considered a highlight in his directing career. However, in 1936, the opera was severely criticized by some critics on the Pravda, the Communist Party's official newspaper, and accused of formalism and intellectualism.

In the summer of 1941 Nazi Germany and its allies invaded the Soviet Union, and German and Finnish forces and encircled Leningrad (St. Petersburg). Defenders and civilians in besieged Leningrad were doomed, because the besieging forces cut supplies of food and energy to the surrounded city. It wasn't long before the city's population of birds, pets and even rats were eaten, and not long after there were reports of cannibalism brought about by starvation. The siege of Leningrad was so impenetrable that by December of that year an average of 4000 to 6000 residents a day were dying of starvation, disease, shellfire, bombardment and a variety of other causes.

During the first months of the siege Shostakovich was in Leningrad. He survived the first bombardments and joined the "night watch" patrol, helping to put out fires during massive German air bombardments. Shostakovich personally neutralized several incendiary bombs and was actively involved in firefighting. After aerial and artillery bombardments, during the rare quiet moments, Shostakovich was back to his piano composing new music. He was evacuated from the besieged city in the end of 1941.

The Seventh "Leningrad" Symphony, which Shostakovich started composing during the Nazi aerial and artillery attacks during the siege, was the masterpiece that won him national and international recognition. His music helped lift the spirits of Leningrad citizens in a time when they were struggling to survive.

On August 9, 1942, Karl Eliasberg gave a premiere performance of Shostakovich's Seventh Symphony in Leningrad. That famous concert was made possible because Eliasberg specially created an orchestra of survivors who were still able to perform in spite of starvation and dystrophy.

Eliasberg, who was also extremely emaciated, spent some time in the hospital in the Astoria hotel and came to the rehearsals straight from the sick ward. On the score of one of the musicians of that legendary orchestra you can still see a drawing showing hollow-cheeked Eliasberg conducting his orchestra sitting on a chair. The legendary performance was broadcast live from the Radio Hall in Leningrad, so millions of civilians and defenders of the besieged city were able to hear the powerful music. The symphony written in the conventional four movements is Shostakovich's longest, and one of the longest in the repertoire, with performances taking approximately one hour and fifteen minutes. The scale and scope of the work is consistent with Shostakovich's other symphonies as well as with those of composers considered to be his strongest influences, including Bruckner, Gustav Mahler and Igor Stravinsky.

Before they tackled Shostakovich's work, Eliasberg had the players go through pieces from the standard repertoire - Ludwig van Beethoven, Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov - which they also performed for broadcast. Because the city was still blockaded at the time, the score was flown by night in early July for rehearsal. The concert was given on 9 August 1942. Whether this date was chosen intentionally, it was the day Hitler had chosen previously to celebrate the fall of Leningrad with a lavish reception for the top Nazi commanders. But instead of Hitler's plan, all loudspeakers delivered the live broadcast of the symphony performance throughout the city as well as to the German forces in a move of psychological warfare. The Russian commander of the Leningrad front, General Govorov, ordered a bombardment of German artillery positions in advance of the broadcast to ensure their silence during the performance of the symphony; a special operation, code-named "Squall," was executed for precisely this purpose. Three thousand high-caliber shells were lobbed onto the enemy. Then the music of Shostakovich came out of the speakers all over the siege perimeter, so the Nazis had to face the music. The music of Shostakovich brought the much needed support and catharsis to survivors who loved the symphony and applauded to Eliasberg and his orchestra. General Govorov with his staff came backstage to thank Eliasberg and his musicians for their art and courage.

The news about Dmitry Shostakovich's Seventh Symphony premiere in besieged Leningrad spread all over the world. It was an important message to all nations that Hitler's attack on Leningrad failed. Shostakovich who began to write his famous symphony before evacuation from besieged Leningrad in 1941, could not go back to attend its premier performance in 1942. The composer sent the conductor and the musicians who performed his work in the besieged city a telegram with words of gratitude.

After WWII Shostakovich was again accused of formalism in 1948. At that time, Shostakovich gained international recognition in the free world, and received several invitations to participate in music festivals and other cultural events. He was awarded the International Peace Prize (1954), State Prize five times (in 1941-1952), State Prizes of Russia and the USSR, and was designated People's Artist of the USSR. From 1957-1975 he was secretary of the Union of Composers of Russia and the USSR. He taught and promoted many talented musicians, such as Andrey Petrov, Georgi Sviridov, Karen Khachaturyan, and Boris Tishchenko among others.

Shostakovich and Yevgeniy Yevtushenko worked together on the famous Symphony No. 13 titled "Babi Yar", a vocal setting of poems by Yevtushenko. It was first performed in Moscow on December 18, 1962 under the baton of Kirill Kondrashin. Yevtushenko and Shostakovich toured many countries with the performances of "Babi Yar", and made several recordings of the Symphony No. 13. Among Shostakovich's best known film scores are 'Suite from The Gadfly' from The Gadfly (1955), and the score for director Grigoriy Kozintsev's acclaimed film Hamlet (1964) starring Innokentiy Smoktunovskiy.

In 1965 Shostakovich raised his voice in defense of poet Joseph Brodsky, who was sentenced to five years of exile and hard labor. Shostakovich co-signed protests together with such prominent figures as Korney Ivanovich Chukovskiy, Anna Akhmatova, Samuil Marshak, Yevgeniy Yevtushenko, and the French philosopher Jean-Paul Sartre. After the protests his sentence was commuted, and Brodsky returned to Leningrad. At that time, Shostakovich joined the group of 25 distinguished intellectuals in signing the letter to Leonid Brezhnev asking not to rehabilitate Iosif Stalin.

Dmitri Shostakovich was a towering figure in Russian music of the 20th century along with 'Sergei Prokofiev (I)' and Aram Khachaturyan. He wrote 15 symphonies, of which the Fifth (1937), the Sevenths "Leningrad" (1942), and the Thurteenth "Baby Yar" (1968) are the best known. His other compositions include cantatas and oratorios, seven operas and operettas, four ballets, twelve musical comedies and other music for stage plays, 36 original motion picture scores, fifteen quartets and other chamber music for, piano, violin, and cello. Shostakovich, who was an awarded pianist himself, had composed outstanding works for piano, such as his Piano concertos No1 and No2. His 24 Preludes and Fugues for piano received numerous awards and recognitions, and were recorded in critically acclaimed performance by Vladimir Ashkenazy.

Shostakovich died of a heart attack on august 9, 1975, in Moscow, and was laid to rest in Novodevichi Convent Cemetery in Moscow, Russia. His legacy is continued by his son, conductor Maxim Shostakovich, and his grandson, pianist Dmitri Shostakovich Jr.
BornSeptember 25, 1906
DiedAugust 9, 1975(68)
BornSeptember 25, 1906
DiedAugust 9, 1975(68)
IMDbProStarmeterSee rank
  • Nominated for 1 Oscar
    • 3 wins & 3 nominations total

Photos

Dmitri Shostakovich
Dmitri Shostakovich and Iosif Stalin in The War Symphonies: Shostakovich Against Stalin (1997)

Known for

Children of Men (2006)
Children of Men
7.9
  • Soundtrack("Allegro from Symphony No. 10")
  • 2006
Colin Farrell in The Lobster (2015)
The Lobster
7.1
  • Soundtrack("String Quartet No. 8 in C Minor, Op. 110; 4. Largo")
  • 2015
Battleship Potemkin (1925)
Battleship Potemkin
7.9
  • Composer(1975)
  • 1925
Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman in Eyes Wide Shut (1999)
Eyes Wide Shut
7.5
  • Soundtrack("Jazz Suite, Waltz 2" (1924))
  • 1999

Credits

Edit
IMDbPro

Music Department

  • Denis Savin and Olga Smirnova in Master and Margarita (2021)
    Master and Margarita
    • music
    • 2021
  • Daniil Trifonov, Anderson Romero, Yuri Alves, and Xian Zhang in Emerge: Part III (2021)
    Emerge: Part III
    • music
    • writer
    • 2021
  • Back on Stage III: Destiny (2021)
    Back on Stage III: Destiny
    • composer
    • 2021
  • Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk (2021)
    Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk
    • music
    • Video
    • 2021
  • Boyhood's End & Poems of Marina Tsvetaeva (2021)
    Boyhood's End & Poems of Marina Tsvetaeva
    • music by
    • Video
    • 2021
  • La Mégère apprivoisée
    • as Dimitri Chostakovitch
    • TV Special
    • 2020
  • Hope@Home (2020)
    Hope@Home
    • music
    • TV Series
    • 2020
  • The Nose or Conspiracy of Mavericks (2020)
    The Nose or Conspiracy of Mavericks
    • Music Department
    • 2020
  • Lady Macbeth de Mzensk (2019)
    Lady Macbeth de Mzensk
    • music
    • TV Movie
    • 2019
  • Yannick Nézet-Séguin & Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra - Shostakovich Symphony No. 4 (2019)
    Yannick Nézet-Séguin & Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra - Shostakovich Symphony No. 4
    • music
    • Video
    • 2019
  • La nature (2019)
    La nature
    • additional music
    • 2019
  • Nas Latitudes do Futuro
    • composer: stock music
    • Short
    • 2017
  • Müzikte yeni soluklar
    • Music Department
    • Video
    • 2017
  • Andrey Konchalovskiy, Tatiana Fedorovskaya, Leonid Davydov, and Vladimir Egorov in Vera (2017)
    Vera
    • stock music
    • Short
    • 2017
  • The Nose (2016)
    The Nose
    • music
    • Video
    • 2016

Composer

  • Svoboda po russki (2006)
    Svoboda po russki
    • Composer
    • 2006
  • Seattle Symphony from Benaroya Hall
    • Composer
    • TV Special
    • 2006
  • Paul Meyer, Emmanuel Pahud, and Eric Le Sage in Valse de Dmitri Chostakovitch (2005)
    Valse de Dmitri Chostakovitch
    • Composer
    • Video
    • 2005
  • The Donkey
    • Composer
    • Short
    • 2004
  • Shostakovich: A Career
    • Composer
    • TV Movie
    • 1987
  • Dances of the Toys (1985)
    Dances of the Toys
    • Composer
    • TV Short
    • 1985
  • Pugachev (1979)
    Pugachev
    • Composer (from "11th Symphony")
    • 1979
  • Oleg Dal and Vera Glagoleva in V chetverg i bolshe nikogda (1978)
    V chetverg i bolshe nikogda
    • Composer
    • 1978
  • Tamara Syomina in A u nas byla tishina... (1978)
    A u nas byla tishina...
    • Composer (as D. Shostakovich)
    • 1978
  • Vesna dvadtsat devyatogo (1975)
    Vesna dvadtsat devyatogo
    • Composer
    • TV Movie
    • 1975
  • Under Western Eyes
    • Composer
    • TV Movie
    • 1975
  • Zvyozdnyy chas (1973)
    Zvyozdnyy chas
    • Composer
    • TV Movie
    • 1973
  • Die besten Jahre
    • Composer
    • 1973
  • Galina Andreeva, Ivan Lapikov, and Nikolay Trofimov in Poslanniki vechnosti (1971)
    Poslanniki vechnosti
    • Composer
    • 1971
  • Baryshnya i khuligan (1970)
    Baryshnya i khuligan
    • Composer
    • TV Movie
    • 1970

Writer

  • Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk (2021)
    Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk
    • libretto
    • Video
    • 2021
  • Lady Macbeth de Mzensk (2019)
    Lady Macbeth de Mzensk
    • libretto
    • TV Movie
    • 2019
  • The Nose (2016)
    The Nose
    • libretto
    • Video
    • 2016
  • The Metropolitan Opera HD Live (2006)
    The Metropolitan Opera HD Live
    • libretto by (as the composer)
    • TV Series
    • 2013
  • Lady Macbeth del distretto di Mzensk (2008)
    Lady Macbeth del distretto di Mzensk
    • libretto
    • TV Movie
    • 2008
  • Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk (2006)
    Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk
    • libretto
    • TV Movie
    • 2006
  • Svitlana Dekar in Katerina Izmailova (2006)
    Katerina Izmailova
    • libretto
    • TV Movie
    • 2006
  • Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk (2002)
    Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk
    • libretto
    • TV Movie
    • 2002
  • Shostakovich smeyotsa (1993)
    Shostakovich smeyotsa
    • Writer
    • TV Short
    • 1993
  • Lady Macbeth von Mzensk (1992)
    Lady Macbeth von Mzensk
    • libretto (as Dmitri Schostakowitsch)
    • 1992
  • Eduard Akimov and Alexander Lomonosov in Nos (1979)
    Nos
    • libretto
    • TV Movie
    • 1979
  • Katerina Izmailova (1967)
    Katerina Izmailova
    • libretto
    • 1967
  • Khovanschina (1959)
    Khovanschina
    • screenplay
    • 1959

Videos1

The War Symphonies: Shostakovich Against Stalin
Trailer 1:05
The War Symphonies: Shostakovich Against Stalin

Personal details

Edit
  • Official sites
    • Discogs
    • YouTube
  • Alternative names
    • Dimitri Chostakovitch
  • Born
    • September 25, 1906
    • St. Petersburg, Russian Empire [now Russia]
  • Died
    • August 9, 1975
    • Moscow, Russian SFSR, USSR [now Russia](lung cancer)
  • Spouses
      Irina SupinskayaDecember 1962 - August 9, 1975 (his death)
  • Other works
    He was composer for the ballet, "Fete Noire," in the Dance Theatre of Harlem company production at the Spoleto Festival in Spoleto, Italy. Arthur Mitchell was choreographer. Bernard Johnson was scenery and costume designer. Fred Barry was lighting designer. Craig Sheppard was pianist. Isaiah Jackson was conductor.
  • Publicity listings
    • 8 Biographical Movies
    • 7 Print Biographies
    • 1 Article
    • 1 Magazine Cover Photo

Did you know

Edit
  • Trivia
    His Eighth String Quartet, Op. 110, was written from start to finish over the span of just three days.
  • Quotes
    The climax of joy is not when you're through a new symphony, but when you are hoarse from shouting, with your hands stinging from clapping, your lips parched, and you sip a second glass of beer after you've fought for it with 90,000 other spectators to celebrate the victory of your favorite team.

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