Born in Saint Petersburg, Russia on September 25, 1906,
Dmitri Shostakovich showed an early inclination for music and was considered a
child prodigy as a pianist and composer. He began piano lessons at the age of
nine and displayed a remarkable musical memory, often being caught playing from
memory what his mother had played in a previous lesson instead of reading the
music in front of him. In 1919, at only the age of thirteen, he entered the
Petrograd Conservatory under the watchful eye of Alexander Glazunov. His first
successful composition, the First
Symphony, was written as a graduation piece and premiered in 1926.
Following his graduation, Shostakovich at first attempted to
maintain a career as both a concert pianist and a composer. However, his style
of playing was often criticized as dry and lacking in emotion. Nevertheless, he
managed to win an "honorable mention" at the First International Frederic
Chopin Piano Competition in Warsaw in 1927. More importantly, however, at the
competition he was introduced to the conductor Bruno Walter, leading to a
Berlin premiere of his First Symphony followed by a U.S. premiere in
Philadelphia. From then on, Shostakovich turned entirely to composition,
limiting his piano performances mainly to his own works.
As was the plight of so many artists in Soviet Russia,
Shostakovich eventually fell from favor with the government in 1936. Several
attacks were issued against him in Pravda.
He began to lose commissions and even critics who had formerly praised
Shostakovich's work were obliged to officially recant. Shostakovich,
nonetheless, managed to rebound the following year with his Fifth Symphony.
More conservative than his previous works, it premiered in Leningrad in
November 1937 to much success placing him in favor with the authorities.
Following the culmination of World War II, as the Soviets
once again turned their focus inward and attempt to remove all Western artistic
influences, Shostakovich, along with Sergei Prokofiev, was harshly denounced by
the government. Most of his works were banned. He resorted mainly to film
music, a relatively safe medium with little room for personal expression, to
provide himself and his family with financial support. Other works were aimed
at winning over the good graces of the Soviets but all serious compositions
were confined to the desk drawer. Following Stalin's death in 1953,
however, Shostakovich was once again able to function more freely as an artist.
Many of the works he had composed but kept locked away were premiered during
that year.
In 1965, Shostakovich was diagnosed with polio
and the following year he suffered from a heart attack. Though he was forced to
give up piano playing, he still continued to compose, producing two more
symphonies before his death. On August 9, 1975, he died of lung cancer.
Dmitry Shostakovich
Biography
Born in Saint Petersburg, Russia on September 25, 1906, Dmitri Shostakovich showed an early inclination for music and was considered a child prodigy as a pianist and composer. He began piano lessons at the age of nine and displayed a remarkable musical memory, often being caught playing from memory what his mother had played in a previous lesson instead of reading the music in front of him. In 1919, at only the age of thirteen, he entered the Petrograd Conservatory under the watchful eye of Alexander Glazunov. His first successful composition, the First Symphony, was written as a graduation piece and premiered in 1926.
Following his graduation, Shostakovich at first attempted to maintain a career as both a concert pianist and a composer. However, his style of playing was often criticized as dry and lacking in emotion. Nevertheless, he managed to win an "honorable mention" at the First International Frederic Chopin Piano Competition in Warsaw in 1927. More importantly, however, at the competition he was introduced to the conductor Bruno Walter, leading to a Berlin premiere of his First Symphony followed by a U.S. premiere in Philadelphia. From then on, Shostakovich turned entirely to composition, limiting his piano performances mainly to his own works.
As was the plight of so many artists in Soviet Russia, Shostakovich eventually fell from favor with the government in 1936. Several attacks were issued against him in Pravda. He began to lose commissions and even critics who had formerly praised Shostakovich's work were obliged to officially recant. Shostakovich, nonetheless, managed to rebound the following year with his Fifth Symphony. More conservative than his previous works, it premiered in Leningrad in November 1937 to much success placing him in favor with the authorities.
Following the culmination of World War II, as the Soviets once again turned their focus inward and attempt to remove all Western artistic influences, Shostakovich, along with Sergei Prokofiev, was harshly denounced by the government. Most of his works were banned. He resorted mainly to film music, a relatively safe medium with little room for personal expression, to provide himself and his family with financial support. Other works were aimed at winning over the good graces of the Soviets but all serious compositions were confined to the desk drawer. Following Stalin's death in 1953, however, Shostakovich was once again able to function more freely as an artist. Many of the works he had composed but kept locked away were premiered during that year.
In 1965, Shostakovich was diagnosed with polio and the following year he suffered from a heart attack. Though he was forced to give up piano playing, he still continued to compose, producing two more symphonies before his death. On August 9, 1975, he died of lung cancer.