Shostakovich 100

One-hundred years ago today, russian composer Dmitri Shostakovich was born in St. Petersburg, Russia to Dmitri Boleslavovich Shostakovich and Sofiya Kokaoulina Shostakovich. As a matter of course for a historical figure, much has been written about DSCH's life. Instead of trying to write an educational posting, I chose to reflect on what DSCH's music means to me on such a historical day. As a result of this introspect, I have found three things in Shostakovich's music that changed my view of classical music as a whole.

The first of these is the emotional power that a composer is capable of producing. I discovered my favorite DSCH work during my first year of college: the Fifth Symphony. In my opinion, this is the greatest work ever written for orchestra because of it's Largo movement. I still haven't figured out what this movement entirely means to me; sometimes when I hear it, I'm angry that DSCH lived in oppressed society. Other times, it is clear to me that DSCH's expressions of emotion through music would have transcended the current political conditions, no matter what they were. I challenge anyone to find a more honest expression of both love and contempt for humanity.

The second in my list is the physical power that an orchestral composition can have, and there is no better example of this than second movement of the Eleventh symphony. "9 January" starts with nervously, but during the second half of this movement, the volume that is produced by a 100+ piece orchestra is astonishing. Regardless of what revolution you associate this symphony with (the 1905 Russian revolution or the 1956 uprising), one cannot deny the power, violence, and massacre this movement represents.

Finally, the greatest thing about DSCH's music is that it sounds natural. It is romantic, but not redundant. It is rhythmically interesting, melodic, and singable. You can walk out of a concert after the Seventh or Ninth symphonies and sing a melody despite their complexity.

These three factors changed my view of "classical" music: it's not boring, staunchy music that sounds 50, 150, or 250 years old. It is something that is powerful, emotional, turbulent, serene, or calm. It's longevity comes because it appeals to both intellect and emotion in both the rich and poor. If I could thank Shostakovich for one thing, it would be for this realization.