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$42.85
41. Symphony No. 5, Op. 47: New Collected
$14.50
42. Shostakovich: The Illustrated
$115.33
43. A Soviet Credo: Shostakovich's
 
$50.99
44. The Breath of the Symphonist:
$157.03
45. Dmitri Shostakovich Catalogue:
$44.95
46. Shostakovich: A Life
 
47. Dmitri Shostakovich: The Life
$7.99
48. Story of a Friendship: The Letters
$9.93
49. Easier Works: Piano Solo (Piano
$22.78
50. Symphony No. 2, Op. 14 To October:
$12.59
51. Sonata No. 2 for Piano, Op. 61
 
$89.85
52. New Shostakovich
 
$40.30
53. 24 Preludes and Fugues, Op. 87
$141.59
54. Symphony No. 5, Op. 47: New Collected
$14.13
55. Suites by Dmitri Shostakovich:
$20.49
56. Symphonies by Dmitri Shostakovich:
 
$58.00
57. Dmitri Shostakovich: New Collected
$63.90
58. Dmitri Shostakovich
 
59. Symphonies Nos. 1 and 5 in Full
$112.00
60. Symphony No. 4, Op. 43: New Collected

41. Symphony No. 5, Op. 47: New Collected Works of Dmitri Shostakovich - Volume 20 (DSCH)
Hardcover: 191 Pages (2003-10-01)
list price: US$70.00 -- used & new: US$42.85
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Asin: 0634073001
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These volumes are the first releases of an ambitious new series started in 1999 by DSCH, the exclusive publisher of the works of Dmitri Shostakovich. Each volume contains new engravings; articles regarding the history of the compositions; facsimile pages of Shostakovich's manuscripts, outlines, and rough drafts; as well as interpretations of the mauscripts. In total, 150 volumes are planned for publication. ... Read more


42. Shostakovich: The Illustrated Lives of the Great Composers
by Eric Roseberry
Paperback: 191 Pages (1981-10)
list price: US$19.95 -- used & new: US$14.50
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Asin: 0711902585
Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars
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This series of biographies presents the great composers against the background of their times. Each draws on personal letters and recollections, engravings, paintings and, when they exist, photographs, to present a complete picture of the composer’s life. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

4-0 out of 5 stars This is a good, thorough beginning book on Shostakovich
Over the course of the last few months I have been nursing an ever increasing love of Shostakovich. This is the first book I have read on the master and, in light of other readings I have done (Volkov, Fanning,MacDonald, Wilson)this turned out to be a good primer. Its strength lies inthat (outside from a few quotes from Testimony) it stays away from theVolkov controversy and focuses mostly on facts (i.e. who Zhdanov,Sollertinsky, Meyerhold were, the political horrors of Stalin, his majorworks in relationship to his life). For those searching for a book a thatisn't too daunting, but will still give them a thorough introduction, thisis a good start. ... Read more


43. A Soviet Credo: Shostakovich's Fourth Symphony
by Pauline Fairclough
Hardcover: 261 Pages (2006-02-28)
list price: US$120.00 -- used & new: US$115.33
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Asin: 0754650162
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Composed in 1935-36 and intended to be his artistic 'credo', Shostakovich's "Fourth Symphony" was not performed publicly until 1961. Here, Dr Pauline Fairclough tackles head-on one of the most significant and least understood of Shostakovich's major works. She argues that the "Fourth Symphony" was radically different from its Soviet contemporaries in terms of its structure, dramaturgy, tone and even language, and therefore challenged the norms of Soviet symphonism at a crucial stage of its development. With the backing of prominent musicologists such as Ivan Sollertinsky, the composer could realistically have expected the premiere to have taken place, and may even have intended the symphony to be a model for a new kind of 'democratic' Soviet symphonism. Fairclough meticulously examines the score to inform a discussion of tonal and thematic processes, allusion, paraphrase and reference to musical types, or intonations. Such analysis is set deeply in the context of Soviet musical culture during the period 1932-36, involving Shostakovich's contemporaries Shabalin, Myaskovsky, Kabalevsky and Popov.A new method of analysis is also advanced here, where a range of Soviet and Western analytical methods are informed by the theoretical work of Shostakovich's contemporaries Viktor Shklovsky, Boris Tomashevsky, Mikhail Bakhtin and Ivan Sollertinsky, together with Theodor Adorno's late study of Mahler. In this way, the book will significantly increase an understanding of the symphony and its context. ... Read more


44. The Breath of the Symphonist: Shostakovich's Tenth (Royal Musical Association Monographs, Vol 4) (Royal Musical Association Monographs, Vol 4)
by David Fanning
 Hardcover: 144 Pages (1988-08-28)
list price: US$90.00 -- used & new: US$50.99
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Asin: 0947854037
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45. Dmitri Shostakovich Catalogue: The First Hundred Years and Beyond
by Derek C. Hulme
Hardcover: 822 Pages (2010-03-15)
list price: US$160.00 -- used & new: US$157.03
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Asin: 0810872641
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This is an updated and expanded edition of the catalogue of Dmitri Shostakovich's music, a comprehensive listing of all his published and unnumbered works from 1915 to 1975. More than 175 major works are described and annotated with details including dates of composition, durations, premieres, instrumentation, bibliographic information, and recordings. ... Read more


46. Shostakovich: A Life
by Laurel Fay
Hardcover: 488 Pages (1999-11-25)
list price: US$65.00 -- used & new: US$44.95
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Asin: 0195134389
Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars
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For this authoritative post-cold-war biography of Shostakovich's illustrious but turbulent career under Soviet rule, Laurel E. Fay has gone back to primary documents: Shostakovich's many letters, concert programs and reviews, newspaper articles, and diaries of his contemporaries. An indefatigable worker, he wrote his arresting music despite deprivations during the Nazi invasion and constant surveillance under Stalin's regime. Shostakovich's life is a fascinating example of the paradoxes of living as an artist under totalitarian rule. In August 1942, his Seventh Symphony, written as a protest against fascism, was performed in Nazi-besieged Leningrad by the city's surviving musicians, and was triumphantly broadcast to the German troops, who had been bombarded beforehand to silence them.Alone among his artistic peers, he survived successive Stalinist cultural purges and won the Stalin Prize five times, yet in 1948 he was dismissed from his conservatory teaching positions, and many of his works were banned from performance. He prudently censored himself, in one case putting aside a work based on Jewish folk poems. Under later regimes he balanced a career as a model Soviet, holding government positions and acting as an international ambassador with his unflagging artistic ambitions. In the years since his death in 1975, many have embraced a view of Shostakovich as a lifelong dissident who encoded anti-Communist messages in his music.This lucid and fascinating biography demonstrates that the reality was much more complex.Laurel Fay's book includes a detailed list of works, a glossary of names, and an extensive bibliography, making it an indispensable resource for future studies of Shostakovich. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (18)

5-0 out of 5 stars fair and balanced
I also don't get some of the negative reviews here.This is the only biography available that lays out the basic facts of Shostakovich's life, what was going on with him when he composed his various works, his personal relationships, etc.I would absolutely recommend starting with this book.In no way does Fay say or imply he was just an apparatchik as some commentators have said.

I got Elizabeth Wilson's book thinking it was a biography and only after getting into it found out it was oral history by everyone she could track down that knew S.I wish I had read Fay's book first, then Wilson's then Volkov's.

Did S have a natural propensity for satire and sarcasm in his music?Of course.But did he at some level and sometimes believe in the ideals of communism?Yes, and I think Fay reveals the sources of conflict of his life more realistically than just labeling him a closet subversive.

4-0 out of 5 stars Song of Soviet Russia
Having read Laurel E Fay's biography "Shostakovich: A Life" (2000) I was surprised by the negative if not nasty reviews in Amazon.com. To be sure, as one reviewer says (and Fay seems to agree with him), the definitive biography of Dimitri Shostakovich has yet to be written, but this Life offers the reader an overall and absorbing portrait of an accomplished artist as well as a complicated person. Another review complains that the dark days of tyranny in which the composer lived are not adequately represented here, but for a detailed description of that period one should go to Solzhenitsyn. In this book the example of Vsevolod Meyerhold's summary arrest and execution is enough to give the reader a strong idea of the terrifying atmosphere in which Shostakovich and colleagues lived under Stalin. There are also intimations that Shostakovich is not treated with proper deference as a citizen nor as a composer. As a citizen, he often submtted to the Party's dictates, but how much was political wisdom and how much was sincere opinion is often unclear; his complicity in the denunciation of Andrey Sakharov in 1973 is stilldebated. I suspect that Shostakovich, like Ninotchka, wanted to be thought of as a good Russian, even while becoming disillusioned with Soviet ideals. As a composer he has many detractors, but I think Fay makes it clear she admires his music very much. Granted, his devotion to Mahler leads to derivation, but I don't think that makes his own voice any weaker. (And I'm sure Shostakovich realized that, obviously, Mahler was his superior.) Also, I think Shostakovich had no illusions about his various inspirations. For instance, he knew that the "Invasion" theme in his 7th Symphony would call up comparisons to Ravel's Bolero, but he said " ... that's how I hear war". Finally in the 15th Symphony he frankly quotes Rossini and Wagner. Fay closes "Shostakovich: A Life" with detailed chapter notes, giving sources for all her information, a lengthy bibliography, a complete listing of the composer's works (a great deal more chamber music than one usually associates with Shostakovich), and a glossary of the names of people important in the composer's life, so that this book is not only a highly-qualified biography but a valuable desk reference as well.

5-0 out of 5 stars an objective life
Laurel Fay has written a well documented biography of Shostakovich, a monumental figure in classical music of the XX century. The unique aspect of this biography is that Laurel Fay has managed to keep the interest in Shostakovich's life alive until the end. In this, it is true, she has been helped by the bizarre rules of the defunct Soviet Union, where some mediocre, uninspired party hacks decided what type of music should be written by Soviet composers. It is incredible that, under these rules, Shostakovich managed to write his towering symphonies, his delightful operas and his highly original chamber music.Make no mistakes. Shostakovich displayed the overwhelming selfishness of many creative artists, who firmly believe that they have to create at any cost, and since the creative spirit requires one to be alive,they will compromise with their conscience to remain alive. Shostakovich's compromises are not edifying, but the lives of many artists are not edifying (Wagner was one of the most despicable artists Germany has ever known) but we should judge artist by the gifts they give us, not by their actions. Laurel Fay has conveyed a troubled life with enough sympathy that at the end we forget Shostakovic's faults, and rejoice that, despite all the problems, we can enjoy his extraordinary music.

1-0 out of 5 stars Laughable, yet cruel
This book is an attempt to describe the life of a Soviet composer without reference to, or apparently any knowledge of, the conditions that the composer was working under. The author's obvious ignorance of the milieu created by the Soviet regimes under which Shostakovich worked results in a work of overwhelming dishonesty - one that cruelly misrepresents the composer and the works he created.This book is so misconceived, both from the standpoint ofempathy for the subject and overall scholarship, that it would take several pages to address even its most blatant errors.Fortunately, for those who might be tempted, for whatever reason, to check this out of the library, or even, God forbid, to buy the thing, there is a website where one can read an intelligent and balanced discussion of the sort of feeble anti-revisionism that this book represents (see below).If amazon does not allow links, search for "Music Under Soviet Rule: The Shostakovich Debate."

[...]

5-0 out of 5 stars Thorough, well-researched
Fay's biography of Shostakovich is a welcome relief for the scholar and the general reader.It is carefully and (importantly) credibly researched and does a good job balancing musical and personal biography.It us utterly without histrionics or bombast, which is why it's a relief.The last twenty years or so have seen Shostakovich studies taken over by a political discourse that is more about its participants than Shostakovich.Claims that the book is dull probably reflect the fact that it's not written to be a manifesto or a potboiler.It's a clear, organized, scholarly narrative. ... Read more


47. Dmitri Shostakovich: The Life Background Of A Soviet Composer
by Victor I. Seroff
 Library Binding: Pages (1943-01)
list price: US$59.00
Isbn: 0781202264
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48. Story of a Friendship: The Letters of Dmitry Shostakovich to Isaak Glikman, 1941-1975
by Dmitry Shostakovich
Hardcover: 340 Pages (2001-10)
list price: US$50.50 -- used & new: US$7.99
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Asin: 0801439795
Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars
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Customer Reviews (3)

5-0 out of 5 stars An Intimate Portrait of the Composer
Story of a Friendship: The Letters of Dmitri Shostakovich to Isaak Glickman is a remarkable collection of Shostakovich's letters.Shostakovich was a close friend of Glickman beginning in the early 1930's and these letters constitute a kind of autobiography.The letters that Glickman wrote in response were not preserved it being Shostakovich's philosophy that letters were momentary and not to be saved.Fortunately for us, Isaak Glickman did not follow Shostakovich's example.

The letters up to late 1941 have been lost and Isaak Glickman wrote a synopsis of events up to the time of the first letter.The book is divided into time periods: the war years (1941 - 45), the Zhandov Decree (1946 - 53, the Thaw (1954 - 59), the public and private (1960 - 66), the composer's failing health (1967 - 69) and his final yeas (1970 - 75).The final letter is dated to August 23, 1974 and the final year of Dmitri Shostakovich's life is told through Isaak Glickman's diary entries.

The book is loaded with footnotes. I kept a marker at the current footnote pages so I could turn to them easily.I did flip back and forth often. The footnotes are usually very informative, sometimes adding a lot of information to the letter.The letter's themselves are more revealing about Shostakovich's personality rather than his feelings about his music, but there are some fascinating letters that talk about the Symphony No. 13 and 14.I have read several books about Shostakovich and this one added a new dimension, particularly about his illnesses that began in the 1960's.Many of his letters were written from hospitals or convalescent homes where he composed some of his most powerful music, such as the String Quartets 11 and 13, the Violin Sonata and the Symphony No 14.During this time the composer was being treated for the disorders he had with his right hand and leg, a heart attack and separate stays when he broken each of his legs.At one point he joked that he only had to break his left arm to be 100%.

The book has two sets of plates that include several photographs that I had not seen before.This is an excellent volume particularly if you have read other books about Shostakovich such as Elizabeth Wilson's "Shostakovich: A Life Remembered."The perspective that these letter bring to our knowledge ofShostakovich in invaluable.

3-0 out of 5 stars Human sidelight on Shostakovich
Limited as it is in scope and ambition, the book brings out the eminently humman side of Shostakovich through correspondence dealing essentially with matter-of-fact everyday matters. Glikman seems to have worshipped Shostakovich, who evidently valued his friendship highly.
A pleasing volume with interesting photos and ample notes to fill in the background, it will be appreciated in particular by aficionados.

4-0 out of 5 stars An engaging journey through 30+ years
Shostakovich's letters to Glikman show the personal side of the composer -- a man of humor, wit, intelligence, and an overall powerful mind. While keeping in mind his highly negative attitudes towards the Soviet government, the reader sees clearly Shostakovich's use of codified language, forms of reverse psychology, irony, parody, all of which he uses to keep the offical government censors off his (and Glikman's) back, and yet to deliver his true message, idea, opinion in a singularly and brilliantly effective way.
My only reservation about the book is the one-sidedness of it. Glikman's letters, or simply more extensive commentary (although it is remarkably thorough, and an outstanding job for an old man 30 years later!). Shostakovich destroyed all the letters he received, so remedying this problem, alas, is virtually impossible.
Highly, highly recommended despite this. ... Read more


49. Easier Works: Piano Solo (Piano Collection)
by Dmitri Shostakovich
Paperback: 80 Pages (1999-06-01)
list price: US$18.99 -- used & new: US$9.93
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Asin: 0793599326
Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars
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One of the great composers of this century, Shostakovich was also a brilliant pianist. Gathered here are his delightful pieces for children as well as a generous collection of his most popular film and ballet music in easy arrangements. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

4-0 out of 5 stars Easier, not "easy"
I'd say this book starts at about an upper level 2 or a level 3 then progresses upwards from there.It is definitely not a beginner book.But it is a great introduction to some "real" piano music as opposed to the manufactured music of most lesson books. ... Read more


50. Symphony No. 2, Op. 14 To October: New Collected Works of Dmitri Shostakovich - Volume 2 (DSCH)
Hardcover: 109 Pages (2002-12-01)
list price: US$43.00 -- used & new: US$22.78
(price subject to change: see help)
Asin: 0634077384
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Editorial Review

Product Description
These volumes are the first releases of an ambitious new series started in 1999 by DSCH, the exclusive publisher of the works of Dmitri Shostakovich. Each volume contains new engravings; articles regarding the history of the compositions; facsimile pages of Shostakovich's manuscripts, outlines, and rough drafts; as well as interpretations of the manuscripts. In total, 150 volumes are planned for publication. ... Read more


51. Sonata No. 2 for Piano, Op. 61 (DSCH)
Paperback: 48 Pages (2004-02-01)
list price: US$19.95 -- used & new: US$12.59
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Asin: 0634080725
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Composed in 1943, this sonata is now available in an authentic Russian edition from DSCH of Moscow. ... Read more


52. New Shostakovich
by Ian Macdonald
 Hardcover: 339 Pages (1990-11-15)
list price: US$32.50 -- used & new: US$89.85
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Asin: 1555530893
Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars
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Until the publication of "Testimony", the memoirs he dictated to journalist Solomon Volkov, few doubted that Dmitri Shostakovich was a son of the Russian Revolution, whose music celebrated its triumphs, and who devoted his life to the ideals of socialist humanism and internationalism. This biography of Shostakovich repudiates reservations about the precise nature of Volkov's book, to reveal a "new Shostakovich" - a man who had no sympathy with Communism and was forced to build subtle or coded communication into his music to defy the artistic conventions of the Stalinist state. In addition to presenting this new view of the composer, the book also encourages a reappraisal of his music in the light of its new-found meaning and the manner of its creation. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (5)

2-0 out of 5 stars Building on sand
This is a passionate and powerful book, which has won Shostakovich's music many new admirers; but has it served the cause of truth? MacDonald takes the presentation of Shostakovich in Volkov's Testimony as Gospel Truth and extends to the main body of the composer's work Volkov's contention that even Shostakovich's most seemingly conformist works contain a secret anti-Stalin and indeed anti-Soviet code. But this is building on sand, since Volkov's work is of more than dubious authenticity (see now Richard Taruskin, On Russian Music, 318-21). Moreover, MacDonald's translation of Shostakovich scores into detailed political messages is not only fanciful but misunderstands the very nature of music, with its lack of specific and univocal reference (except, by and large, when setting a text). Another flaw is that MacDonald follows Volkov into describing Shostakovich as a 'holy fool', which is entirely to misunderstand both: holy fools, while remaining entirely orthodox in their inner beliefs (as least according to their biographers), behaved shockingly in public in order to mock society and to win abuse and maltreatment for themselves. Shostakovich, in contrast, became disillusioned with the Soviet system in private, but acted on the surface as an obedient servant of the regime -- a compromise that he shared with the great majority of the Russian population. One can appreciate the depth and eloquence of his music without trying to turn him into a hero or prophet.

5-0 out of 5 stars An enduring look into terrible times and the double entendre of Shostakovich's music
British musicologist Ian MacDonald's The New Shostakovich first appeared around 1990 and was revised this decade with Frank Clarke's additional material, footnoted and corrected information, and other extras that help you understand the history, times and music of Soviet composer Dmitri Shotakovich (1906-75), whose dark and despairing music hides its messages better than Solomon Volkov told you in Testimony: The Memoirs of Dmitri Shostakovich (Limelight), the mind-bending biography from Shostakovich that turned everyone's ideas about the man and his music upside down in 1975.

To this end, it is actually two different books; MacDonald did not survive to make the 2006 revisions. While much of the content is the same, the original edition questions the authenticity of Testimony and takes issue with its characterization of the composer and his work. The later account turns 180 degrees and credits Testimony as a potent and accurate account of the composer's life, beliefs and feelings during his days as the Soviet Union's greatest composer. For this reason, it is important that purchasers buy the later edition, which my review covers.

The book is divided into the sections of the composer's life, from his earliest family life and influences to his years in academy, the great Stalin purge of the 1930s, his isolation in the post-Stalin years and his assertive period at the end of his life. What best characterizes MacDonald's book is the way he dissects the composer's music, both musicologically and sociologically, and explains the meanings that come through under the guise of masterful counterpoint and training. While many of these messages were made clear by the composer himself in "Testimony", there is secondary evidence here that, using native folk tunes and other devices that deliver subliminal messages, Shostakovich was clearly a dissident voice in the Soviet Union going back at least as far as the composition of the Symphony No. 4 in the early 1930s.

Here is an overview of what MacDonald tells you about the 15 symphonies:

No. 1 -- this is the youthful composer's graduation exercise from the Soviet music academy. He uses subtle tactics from Stravinsky with fateful themes from Tchaikovsky to create one of the greatest first symphonies ever written.

Nos. 2 and 3 -- laboring under the heavy hammer of totalitarian, Shostakovich created nonsensical music dedicated to the revolution. This pair of symphonies should be abandoned by anyone with serious interest in this composer.

No. 4 -- this is Shostakovich spreading his wings, mimicking his admired Mahler, and beginning to tell you how horrible things were for him in the USSR. The cacophonous sections of the first movement are a musical expression for those what awaited a nighttime visit by the secret police, who were then taken off to the gulag for imagined crimes. Shostakovich himself feared such an event, sometimes sleeping in the hallway of his apartment to spare his family the torment of seeing him taken away.

No. 5 -- Shostakovich's famous response to "just criticism", this is the second of what MacDonald calls the "terror" symphonies -- those written during Stalin's regin of terror from the early 1930s until his death in 1953. A seeming paean to Soviet greatness, it's hidden message was explained eloquently by the composer in 'Testimony.' The famous ending, with what the composer called its forced rejoicing, was described by Galina Vishnevskaya as an expression of the sons and daughters of Russia being torn from its soil by Stalin. The composer described it this way: "...what exultation could there be? I think it is clear what happens in the Fifth," he said in 'Testimony.' "The rejoicing is forced, created under a threat...It's as if someone were beating you with a stick and saying, 'Your business is rejoicing, your business is rejoicing' and you rise, shakily, and go marching off muttering, 'Our business is rejoicing, our business is rejoicing,'" a capsulized comment on the goals of Socialist realism in USSR art.

No. 6 -- an intense, dramatic three movement edifice that heralds the platform of both the Violin Concerto No. 1 and Cello Concerto No. 1, it again calls forth the exegises of Soviet totalitarianism. Its lighter, later momments call forth Shostakovich as yurodivy, the clown price whose light message hides much darker secrets.

No. 7 -- written as the Nazis approached Leningrad and given worldwide recognition, MacDonald expounds on the composer's admission in "Testimony" that he was thinking about "other enemies of mankind" besides the Nazis when he wrote this, namely Stalin.

No. 8 -- the first great masterpiece symphony, MacDonaled explains that this is indeed about totalitarianism and the terror, with its unrelenting darkness and drive today better understood in these terms than during the war years.

No. 9 -- the yurodivy masterpiece, the absurd celebration of success in World War II with the section of Stalin puffing himself up like a frog, that Shostakovich survived over Stalin's disappointment.

No. 10 -- perhaps his greatest symphonic edifice, this music is a characterization of Stalin and his times with the second movement a caricature of the dictator.

No. 11 -- renewing the composer's comments in "Testimony", MacDonald further explains the parallel's between the Russian 1905 pre-revolution of the score and the Soviet military flattening of the 1956 Hungarian uprising.

No. 12 -- written ostensibly to fete Lenin, this is more a bombshell dropped on the shortcomings of the revolutionary hero, with its underground message about repression carried forth from 1917 throughout Shostakovich's life.

No. 13 -- Baba yir is a selection of poems about Jewish represssion the composer set to music during the first thaw under Kruschev. While poet Yevtushenko was forced to rewrite some of his harsher rhetoric -- the Soviet state officially believed there was no ill treatment of Jews -- this is a dissident landmark for Shostakovich, who sympathized with Jews as a repressed minority.

No. 14 -- the songs of death hold numerous keys to second messages in one of the most fascinating sections of the entire book.

No. 15 -- while on its face this is about Shostakovich fiddling with favored music and expanding into serialism under Brezhnev, MacDonald tells you how this is a hidden expression of the composer's anger at the end of his creative life, having lived through the Stalin terror, seeing hundreds of his friends and intellectual equals disappear in the night, and being disappointed by two subsequent dictators, especially the echt-Stalinist Brehznev.

And this without citing a word about MacDonald's discussion of the composer's second-greatest group of compositions -- the string quartets -- and what he had to say about Soviet society in his vocal music. Appendices tell you about the 1948 musical denunication, the relative closeness to real Soviet society depicted in George Orwell's "1984", and other interesting and important slices from Shostakovich's life under the iron fist of Soviet rule. MacDonald skillfully merges musicology with history to give you a three-dimensional view of the composer's life and times, and how the two resulted in his musical visions.

While MacDonald's prose can sometimes be heavy seas on the eyes and mind, the discoveries awaiting the interested reader are worth the occasional literary mudslide. This isn't easy reading and it becomes a trial for a non-musician to understand in some sections, but it builds as it goes on and helps delineate the complex creations of the 20th century's greatest symphonist. Anyone investing in this little book will be rewarded with new understanding, even if they've read Testimony countless times.

5-0 out of 5 stars A Disturbing Journey That Needs ToBe Taken
Unfortunately, when dealing with Shostakovich, politics becomes inextricably bound up with the fact of his survival and the shape his career took by that very act of surviving. After the hot breath of official reprimand by Stalin no less, Shostakovich's sarcastic edge and spontaneity became blunted by an internalised self consciousness. The sarcasm was still there, but not on obvious display, it had been encoded, otherwise he would not have survived. The plea for less politicisation of music is a worthy one but with composers from the Soviet Union during the first half of the twentieth century, this is virtually impossible when narrating their achievements. Even a strenuously apolitical composer such as Prokofiev was constantly caught up in the political quagmire much to his disillusionment. This is a music biography from a political perspective that helps decode some of Shostakovich's perplexing and ambiguous music, enabling us to enter more deeply into his disturbing yet very moving soundscape, loaded as it is with irony and emotion: Highly recommended!

2-0 out of 5 stars If you like classical or contemporary music, please listen and stop reading
I frankly don't understand the political exploitation of Shostakovich's work in this country (USA). It is almost as bad as the very core of the Communist deal that all these books (Volkov in primis) try to undo or reveal. There is no Shostakovich's performance that does not have at least 80% of the notes describing how he was writing this music to mock Stalin; out of fear; because of pressure; because he wanted to try the regime's limits, etc. There is very little, in concert notes as well as in this book, about MUSIC. Was he a great composer? Do we like his music only because his life stirred so many opposite feelings? Do we care to analyze his relationship with Mahler's music, his many different styles (so Mahler cannot be the whole story!), the fact that he was married three times, that his son Maxim is also a conductor but not a composer (how could he with this load of genius in the background?). There is very little in these books about the structure of his (DHS's) work, besides of the usual cliché of the 4th symphony (try the regime's limits), the Fifth (Regime 1:DHS 0), etc. There is also little concerning the most of his opus, the wonderful chamber music and solo instrument music. This book barely mentions the music of the piano Trios (one short, one long, both incredible capolavori!). Maybe Leonard Bernstein was right: we often confuse music with literature and film, we are predominantly visual animals with an appetite for alphabets and grammar, and when it comes to C sharp we think about seeing an optometrist! If you like classical or contemporary music, please listen and stop reading these fake "biographies"! The author of the one I am reviewing here concludes that basically there is a "high probability" that Volkov was right, that if one "imagines" what was going through DHS's mind one can see his anti-whatever stance, etc. People who are egocentric to the point of having their head publicly examined write books, not symphonies!

5-0 out of 5 stars A spirited reinterpretation of the Music of Remembrance
The Solomon Volkov revision or reinterpretation of Shostakovich's musicisfollowed here by MacDonald. He too sees Shostakovich as onewhoopposed the Soviet System and Stalin,while seeming to be a part of it. He outlines how Shostakovich's tragic and comic senses worked together to give his music layers of complexity and double- meaning. He too relates this toShostakovich'ssympathy for Jewish suffering, and his sense ofhow Jewish folk music mixed sadness and humor together.
MacDonald explores Shostakovich's life and career in relation to others , who suffered from the Soviet Regime,Babel, Akhmatova, Osip and Nadezhda Mandelshtam,Zamyatin, Pilnyak, Tsvetayeva. His knowledge of music is the music is great, and he provides interpretations of it which connect with the whole life- struggle of Shostakovich.
Here is one passage from the book which gives a sense of its flavor, and showsimmediately why it is such an outstanding work

"Conscience depends on memory. So relentlessly have Lenin's heirs striven to wipe the slate cleanthe national memory- first by shooting millions of Russians through the brain- stem, later by denying that such things ever happened- that almost all the creative energy of the country's artists and intellectuals since 1917 has gone into thegenre of the memoir. Plays, novels, poems- the majority of these too, are memoirs in disguise. Shostakovich's music is no different.Remembrance is his theme , and if he tells the same story over and over again it is because for him , as for every other Russian, there is no other story to tell.... Notwithstanding their mutual suspicion ,Solzhenitsyn and Shostakovich were co- workers in a massive effort to keep memory alive in Russia through mid twentieth century. Obsessed by the monstrous genocidal injustice of their country's political system, they return time and again in their works to the scene of the crime to paint its horror from a different angle or to bring fresh wreaths for those tens of millionsof graves." ... Read more


53. 24 Preludes and Fugues, Op. 87 - Volume 1 (Nos. 1-12)
by Dmitri Shostakovich
 Paperback: Pages (2010-01-01)
-- used & new: US$40.30
(price subject to change: see help)
Asin: B00385S0D8
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54. Symphony No. 5, Op. 47: New Collected Works of Dmitri Shostakovich - Volume 5 (DSCH)
Hardcover: 176 Pages (2004-06-01)
list price: US$59.00 -- used & new: US$141.59
(price subject to change: see help)
Asin: 063408268X
Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars
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Product Description
These volumes are the first releases of an ambitious series by DSCH, the exclusive publisher of the works of Shostakovich. Each volume contains: new engravings; articles regarding the history of the compositions; facsimile pages of Shostakovich's manuscripts, outlines and rough drafts; plus interpretations of the manuscripts. In total, 150 volumes are planned for publication. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (5)

5-0 out of 5 stars Phantom Regiment Conductor Audition
I bought this to study so I could do Symphony no. 5 for my Phantom Regiment Audition. It was very very helpful to be able to follow along so easily with the music right in front of me, before I knew the piece very well. Like someone else said in a review above me, it lays flat and the print is easy to read. It is definitely worth the money. FOR SURE. :)
Shostakovich is amazing.

5-0 out of 5 stars Perfect for Conductors
I was very impressed with the score.Excellent clarity, and perfect for conducting from.It lays flat.

The only thing that I didn't realise and wasn't too happy about was that it is a Non-Transposing Score

5-0 out of 5 stars Great reference for appropriate performance.
This score really helps clarifying lots of issues around Shostakovich's music.
Existing other scores still contain many errors or mistakes.

5-0 out of 5 stars Excellent new edition superior in every way.
This symphony has been in print in several editions before, notably by Boosey and Hawkes and in the DSCH collected edition.Whilst good these editions have had one particular drawback above others: clarity of reading, a somewhat important issue for a musician.This edition has been totally retypeset and the benefit is immediately obvious.The print is clear and easy to read even from a distance.Even the most complex passages are legible.

At the back of the score is some useful history of the work together with some notes about differences between the editions.The score has been well made and opens flat and there is no show through of print from the facing page.All in all an excellent edition at a very reasonable price.Make it a part of your library.

5-0 out of 5 stars DSCH Edition of Symphony No. 5
Overall, I am completely satisfied with the new DSCH edition of Shostakovich 5. Print is clear, the layout is the same as the last edition but it seems to be completely computer-re-engraved. Until now I've found only one mistake in one viola passage in first movement (don't have the score with me at the moment, so ask for bar number later :)). Just for you to know, the 9th symphony of the same DSCH edition has quite aqward bar numbering system, counting upbeat bar as bar 1 and prima volta & seconda volta as different bars. So be careful when using DSCH score of 9th with western orchestra material! The edition of 5th is though highly recommended, it is a masterpiece of great Soviet composer! ... Read more


55. Suites by Dmitri Shostakovich: Suite for Variety Orchestra, Suite on Finnish Themes, Suite for Jazz Orchestra No. 2
Paperback: 24 Pages (2010-09-15)
list price: US$14.14 -- used & new: US$14.13
(price subject to change: see help)
Asin: 1158490593
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Chapters: Suite for Variety Orchestra, Suite on Finnish Themes, Suite for Jazz Orchestra No. 2, Suite for Jazz Orchestra No. 1, the Gadfly Suite, Suite From the Age of Gold. Source: Wikipedia. Pages: 22. Not illustrated. Free updates online. Purchase includes a free trial membership in the publisher's book club where you can select from more than a million books without charge. Excerpt: The Suite for Variety Orchestra (post-1956) is a suite in eight movements by Dmitri Shostakovich. The work consists of a collection of movements which derive from other works by the composer. For many years the Suite for Variety Orchestra was misidentified as the "lost" Suite for Jazz Orchestra No. 2 (1938), a different work in three movements that was lost during World War II, the piano score of which was rediscovered in 1999 by Manashir Yakubov, and orchestrated the following year by Gerard McBurney. Shostakovich actually labelled the work as "no.1", but no "no.2" is known to exist. (However, Shostakovich biographer Derek Hulme announced in 2000 the discovery of a Suite for Variety Orchestra no.2 in four movements.) The work is scored for an orchestra of 2 flutes (with piccolo), an oboe, 4 clarinets, 2 alto saxophones, 2 tenor saxophones (the first tenor doubling on soprano saxophone), a bassoon, 3 horns, 3 trumpets, 3 trombones, a tuba, timpani, 3 percussionists (with triangle, tambourine, side drum, bass drum, cymbal, suspended cymbal, glockenspiel, xylophone and vibraphone), guitar, harp, celesta, 2 pianos, accordion and strings. According to a note by the composer, any number of the pieces may be played in any order. The order of movements given in the New Collected Works of Dmitri Shostakovich series is as follows: The Suite was first performed in a Western country on 1 December 1988 in Barbican Hall, London, conducted by Mstislav Rostropovich, under the title Suite for Jazz Orchestra no.2. The work was recorded by Riccardo Chailly co...More: http://booksllc.net/?id=1762529 ... Read more


56. Symphonies by Dmitri Shostakovich: Symphony No. 2, Symphony No. 7, Symphony No. 4, Symphony No. 13, Symphony No. 5, Symphony No. 11
Paperback: 114 Pages (2010-09-15)
list price: US$20.49 -- used & new: US$20.49
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Asin: 1155847911
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Chapters: Symphony No. 2, Symphony No. 7, Symphony No. 4, Symphony No. 13, Symphony No. 5, Symphony No. 11, Symphony No. 14, Symphony No. 15, Symphony No. 12, Symphony No. 9, Symphony No. 8, Symphony No. 10, Symphony No. 6, Symphony No. 3. Source: Wikipedia. Pages: 113. Not illustrated. Free updates online. Purchase includes a free trial membership in the publisher's book club where you can select from more than a million books without charge. Excerpt: Dmitri Shostakovichs Symphony No. 7 in C major, Op. 60 dedicated to the city of Leningrad is considered his best known composition. He completed the work on 27 December 1941. In its time, the symphony was extremely popular in both Russia and the West as a symbol of resistance and defiance to Nazi totalitarianism and militarism. As a condemnation of the German invasion of the Soviet Union, the piece is particularly representative of the political responsibilities that Shostakovich felt he had for the state, regardless of the conflicts and criticisms he faced throughout his career with Soviet censors and Joseph Stalin. After the war, the symphony's reputation declined substantially, both due to its public perception as war propaganda as well as the increasingly prevalent view that it was one of Shostakovichs less accomplished works. In more recent years, scholars have suggested that the work is better interpreted as a depiction of totalitarianism in general (and more specifically, the brutality of Stalins regime). This interpretation is complicated by uncertainty as to when the composer started to write the symphony, with evidence that Shostakovich largely completed the first movement, with its famous invasion theme, prior to the beginning of the siege in September 1941. The symphony 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 Shostakov...More: http://booksllc.net/?id=484848 ... Read more


57. Dmitri Shostakovich: New Collected Works in 150 Volumes; 1st Series:symphonies; 19th Volume, Symphony No.4 Op.43, Authors Arrangement for Two Pianos (four hands)
by Manashir (ed) Iakubov
 Hardcover: Pages (2000)
-- used & new: US$58.00
(price subject to change: see help)
Asin: B001B3LCIO
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58. Dmitri Shostakovich
Paperback: 184 Pages (2010-08-10)
list price: US$71.00 -- used & new: US$63.90
(price subject to change: see help)
Asin: 6130728352
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Dmitri Dmitriyevich Shostakovich (25 September [O.S. September 12] 1906 – 9 August 1975) was a Russian composer of the Soviet period and one of the most celebrated composers of the 20th century. Shostakovich achieved fame in the Soviet Union under the patronage of Leon Trotsky's chief of staff Mikhail Tukhachevsky, but later had a complex and difficult relationship with the Stalinist bureaucracy. His music was officially denounced twice, in 1936 and 1948, and was periodically banned. Yet he also received accolades and state awards and served in the Supreme Soviet of the RSFSR. Despite the official controversy, his works were popular and well received. After a period influenced by Prokofiev and Stravinsky, Shostakovich developed a hybrid style, as exemplified by his opera Lady Macbeth of the Mtsensk District (1934). This single work juxtaposed a wide variety of trends, including the neo-classical style (showing the influence of Stravinsky) and post-Romanticism (after Mahler). Sharp contrasts and elements of the grotesque characterize much of his music. ... Read more


59. Symphonies Nos. 1 and 5 in Full Score
by Dmitri Shostakovich
 Paperback: 252 Pages (1995-01)
list price: US$13.95
Isbn: 0486283682
Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars
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Customer Reviews (1)

5-0 out of 5 stars 2 symphonies by the 20th centuries most gifted symphonist
The first is a precocious early work by Shostakovich, and the 5th theproduct of his early maturity.The fifth especially benefits from ascore-reading, as it has a great deal of compositional detail that can bestbe appreciated by seeing as well as hearing the notes. ... Read more


60. Symphony No. 4, Op. 43: New Collected Works of Dmitri Shostakovich - Volume 4 (DSCH)
Hardcover: 318 Pages (2003-10-01)
list price: US$110.00 -- used & new: US$112.00
(price subject to change: see help)
Asin: 0634072986
Canada | United Kingdom | Germany | France | Japan
Editorial Review

Product Description
These volumes are the first releases of an ambitious new series started in 1999 by DSCH, the exclusive publisher of the works of Dmitri Shostakovich. Each volume contains new engravings; articles regarding the history of the compositions; facsimile pages of Shostakovich's manuscripts, outlines, and rough drafts; as well as interpretations of the mauscripts. In total, 150 volumes are planned for publication. ... Read more


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