Testimony: The Memoirs of Dmitri Shostakovich

by Solomon Volkov (Editor)

This is the powerful memoirs which an ailing Dmitri Shostakovich dictated to a young Russian musicologist, Solomon Volkov. When it was first published in 1979, it became an international bestseller. This 25th anniversary edition includes a new foreword by Vladimir Ashkenazy, as well as black-and-white photos. “Testimony changed the perception of Shostakovich's life and work dramatically, and influenced innumerable performances of his music.” – New Grove Dictionary

321 pages, Kindle Edition

Published July 1, 2004

About the author

Solomon Moiseyevich Volkov (born 17 April 1944 in Uroteppa, Tadzhik SSR) is a Russian journalist and musicologist. He is best known for Testimony, which was published in 1979 following his emigration from the Soviet Union in 1976. He claimed that the book was the memoirs of Dmitri Shostakovich, as related to himself.