Dmitry Shostakovich

by Pauline Fairclough

Dmitry Shostakovich was one of the most successful composers of the twentieth century—a musician who adapted as no other to the unique pressures of his age. By turns vilified and feted by Stalin during the Great Purge, Shostakovich twice came close to succumbing to the whirlwind of political repression of his times and remained under political surveillance all his life, despite the many privileges and awards heaped upon him in old age. Through it all, Shostakovich showed a remarkable ability to work with, rather than against, prevailing ideological demands, and it was this quality that ensured both his survival and his musical posterity.

Pauline Fairclough’s absorbing new biography offers a vivid portrait of Shostakovich. Featuring quotations from previously unpublished letters as well as rarely seen photographs, Fairclough’s book provides fresh insight into the music and life of a composer whose legacy, above all, was to have written some of the greatest and most cherished music of the last century.

Genres: Music, Nonfiction, Russia, Biography

192 pages, Paperback

First published August 12, 2019

Reviews

[David Kerslake · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really love the music of Shostakovich, far more than any other composer and I don't know why. I had just read Julian Barnes' fictional biography and wanted to read a factual one.
What Pauline Fairclough's book showed me was that Barnes had done a Mantell. In other words, based his fiction as nearly as possible on fact and delved into the subject's inner world to add an extra imagined dimension to the known record.
Fairclough's book is in the Critical Lives series and is short, less than 250 pages. I found it very readable, despite the proliferation of musical terms that I am totally ignorant of.
She addresses Shostakovich's ambivalent and fluctuating relationship with the Soviet regime briefly at the end. Her message seems to be, come on, give the guy a break. He was neither a saint nor a sinner but a composer of some of the most amazing music, imagined and realised. Sounds about right to me.

[Tristram · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is only slightly under 200 pages long, so I wasn't expecting to learn much new. However I did learn a few little things either that I'd not heard of before or something I knew but just in greater depth.

It's difficult to write a biography of the life of someone so significant in such a short page frame, but I think Fairclough managed this quite well and provides a fair and unbiased exploration within the given restraints. I thought the information was well balanced between his personal and musical life.

I'd definitely say this would be best for someone who was just getting into Shostakovich's work or simply wanted to know about his life without all the excess frills.

The only gripe I have is the transliteration of his name as Dmitry rather than Dmitri but that's just a trivial preference and hardly a commentary on the quality of the writing.

[Bradthad Codgeroger · Rating 4 out of 5]

Short but nicely focused on the important stuff, and still with a point of view. Or you can just listen to his string quartets.

[Holly Dion · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good biography, but did drag along a bit.

[David Dunlap · Rating 3 out of 5]

In her Postlude, the author writes: "Dmitry Shostakovich's life was one of constant accommodation: first with malnutrition and poverty, then with a rapidly changing political climate, restrictions on his career, personal terror and anguish, and ultimately with the necessity of serving the regime who had wrought all these things." -- Here, in plain, straightforward prose, is an account of that life. The simplicity and directness of the communication makes the horror of it all the more harrowing. That Shostakovich was able to achieve so much is staggering; what he might have been able to achieve in a gentler, kinder time and society is unimaginable. -- Recommended to any & all who have an interest in this important composer...but do not have the time to read a massive tome. (And Dr. Fairclough knows of what she speaks/writes: she has devoted herself to the study of Shostakovich...)

[Raquel Santos · Rating 4 out of 5]

A biografia do compositor Russo, Shostakovich.
Leitura para cumprir o desafio de uma biografia, estive indecisa entre este e o escritor, Bulgakov, ambos génios não convencionais, perseguidos pelo regime estalinista.
Vejo.me forçada a comparar com a biografia ficcionada do Julian Barnes "O Ruído do Tempo", essencialmente correcta quanto aos factos e mais bonitinha e encantadora.
Mas a vida do senhor já era suficientemente interessante sem mais embelezamentos. A autora é professora de música e junta apontamentos técnicos, sem se tornar chata para os leigos.
Muito bom, recomendado a fãs do senhor, de música clássica e aos fãs de biografias e história do período soviético.

[Gerry McCaffrey · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not a great quality physical book & with my eyes the font was a little small. The biography was fine, I had read a more in-depth work and looked here for more of an overview. It certainly was a tough life.

[John Hobbs · Rating 5 out of 5]

Scholarly. An approachable size. I just wish I could remember more and had time to follow up the works discussed.