“As a composer, [Shostakovich] had a great deal to say, serious or light, and he says it with enormous confidence, ease, and boldness... Out of this shy man has come some of the most powerful, brash, un-shy music every written.
~ Leonard Bernstein, American Composer and friend of Shostakovich
LEGACY
St. Petersburg Academic Philharmonic performing "Leningrad," August 9, 1942 (Courtesy of BBC).
Dmitri Shostakovich has become one of the most performed classical composers of all time, but Shostakovich’s impact is not limited to modern orchestras playing his pieces decades after his death. During his lifetime, his music reflected the grief and victories that people living under the power of the Soviet Union felt.
Dmitri Shostakovich Moscow Monument (Courtesy
of Russian Culture in Landmarks).
In a time of high tension between the people and their governments, we can look back on ways Shostakovich used music as a form of expression, and how modern artists similarly criticize their own societies.
(Courtesy of Discogs)
“Brother, brother, brother / There's far too many of you dying / You know we've got to find a way / To bring some lovin' here today.”
~ Marvin Gaye, "What's Going On"
Women of Allah by Shirin Neshat (Courtesy of BBC).
(Courtesy of Discogs)
“It’s been too hard livin’ / But I’m afraid to die… It’s been a long time comin’, but I know / A change gon’ come.”
~ Sam Cooke, "A Change is Gonna Come"
Even in modern day Russia, artists such as Pussy Riot and I3EPEAK have taken active stances against Russian authoritarianism through their music, just as Shostakovich had done decades before.
Pussy Riot members staging a protest in Moscow and holding a flag in support of feminism (Courtesy of NPR).
“Gay Pride's chained and in detention / The head of the KGB [former Russian State Agency], their chief saint / Leads protesters to prison under escort.”
~ Pussy Riot, "Punk Prayer"
Members of Pussy Riot hanging a pride flag in front of the Cultural Minsitry builiding in Moscow (Courtesy of wearepussyriot).
(Смерти больше нет (Death No More) by I3EPEAK, Courtesy of YouTube)
The music video shows I3EPEAK playing patty-cake on the shoulders of two riot police in front of the former KGB headquarters.
“You and the others will get arrested for street protest tommorow / And I'll curl up in my new apartment.”
~ I3EPEAK, "Death No More"
“We're just saying out loud what people would like to say but are afraid to. We're describing the state of mind of a person of our generation...”
~ Kreslina of I3EPEAK
Today’s artists use their mediums as powerful tools for the advocacy of political and social change, echoing Shostakovich’s efforts to amplify the public’s voice. As music continues to play an increasingly significant role in society, Dmitri Shostakovich’s struggle against artistic suppression marked a historic stride for communication through music.