Dimitri Dimitrievich Shostakovich (1906-1975) was a RussÃan composer, born in St. Petersburg, and trained at the Petrograd Conservatory. Shostakovich first attracted international attention with his
First Symphony, composed when he was nineteen years old, which won immediate success. His
Second Symphony (1927), composed to celebrate the tenth anniversary of the Russian Revolution, and his
Third Symphony (1930) were less successful. His opera
The Nose (1929), modelled on the expressionistic and atonal techniques of such western European composers as Paul Hindemith and Alban Berg, was attacked by the Soviet Association of Proletarian Composers as "bourgeois" and decadent. Shostakovich's next opera,
Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk (1934), first received both popular and critical acclaim, but later
Pravda, the official organ of the Soviet Communist Party, condemned the opera as being neurotic, vulgar, and "counterrevolutionary". As a result of this attack Shostakovich publicly admitted his errors and promised to reformulate his artistic ideas. His
Fifth (1937) and
Sixth (1939) symphonies were well received and his
Seventh Symphony (1941), composed during the siege of Leningrad in 1940-41, became a great popular success. The
Eighth (1942) and
Ninth (1945) symphonies were less kindly received. In 1948 his music was again attacked on political grounds, and once more he promised to reform his musical style. Shostakovich was awarded a Stalin Prize in 1950 and in 1951 for his choral compositÃons. In 1956 he received the Order of Lenin.
Shostakovich's music is distinguished principally by two features: its rhythmic vitality, and its rich melodies, which are frequently reminiscent of the sentimental gypsy tunes popular in eastem Europe. Most of his large works are composed in the traditional sonata form and his mature harmonic style is usually simple and direct. His technical mastery of the orchestra is particularly notable. Among his other works are a
Piano Concerto (1933),
Sonata for cello and piano (1934),
String Quartet (1938),
Piano Quintet (1940), several ballets, songs, piano pieces, and scores for motion pictures.
