Shostakovich [Paperback]

Elizabeth Wilson (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 21, 1995

Shostakovich: A Life Remembered is a unique study of the great composer Dimitri Shostakovich drawn from the reminiscences and reflections of his contemporaries. Using much material never previously published in English, as well as personal accounts from interviews and specially commissioned articles, Elizabeth Wilson has built a fascinating chronicle of Shostakovich's life.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

This book offers a unique perspective on one of our century's most complex, enigmatic, and controversial geniuses, set in the musical and political context of his time. The author is well equipped for the task: she is a cellist who studied with Mstislav Rostropovich in Moscow from 1964 to 1971, when her father was British ambassador there. Her book is a compendium of official documents, private letters, diaries, and interviews with Shostakovich's family, friends, and enemies (in Russia and elsewhere), as well as articles written especially for the book. The result is a fascinating, first-hand portrait of Shostakovich the man as husband, widower, father, and friend, and Shostakovich the composer, who--by turns officially reviled and extolled--became a symbol for the suffering of his people. Indomitably creative despite constant fear, repression, bereavement, and debilitating illnesses, his ultimate tragedy was that the political "thaw" came too late for his failing health. Naturally, many of Wilson's respondents are musicians who knew that Shostakovich encoded his music with hidden subtexts to express his secret thoughts. On the other hand, his political statements, written and spoken under duress, were often ambiguous and contradictory, and she quotes both conciliatory and hostile reactions to them. She also cites many testimonials of his spontaneous generosity to friends and colleagues in need. Among the most delightful episodes are visits by the composer Benjamin Britten and the tenor Peter Pears. The latter gives a loving description in his diary of a splendid Christmas and New Year's celebration with the Rostropovich and Shostakovich families, never even mentioning differences of language, culture, or politics. --Edith Eisler

Review

[Elizabeth] Wilson interviewed and commissioned writings from nearly a hundred of Shostakovich's family members, former students, friends, collaborators, and acquaintnces. . . . The result is a richly varied insight into one of the century's most frequently misjudged geniuses. . . . [In] Shostakovich: A Life Remembered we finally have a more balanced, insightful and quite literally diverse view of his life and work. . . . one will gain immeasurably from reading this book. -- Review

Product Details

• Paperback: 574 pages
• Publisher: Princeton University Press (August 21, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0691044651
• ISBN-13: 978-0691044651
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.1 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,348,986 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

22 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars great biography, November 30, 1999

By 

Benjamin Good (Pittsburgh, PA USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Shostakovich (Paperback)

I highly recommend this book. Initially, I had some reservations about the format: Wilson went to people who knew or had contact with Shostakovich and had them write essays about their experiences, which she then put together to form the book. My hesitation stemmed from the fear that the book would read like a series of seperate articles, rather than a continuous biography, but fortunately they were not realized. The book reads like a biography with a continuous and logical flow. Because most of the accounts are firsthand, there is an certain amount of intimacy and detail that even the most thoroughly researched biographies lack. Wilson pretty much lets the individual contributors speak for themselves, only inserting paragraphs of related historical and political events where necessary for context. Although the book is a biography about Shostakovich's life, work, and personality, it also drops a few clues about performance of his works. Wilson humbly declares that the book is probably not the 'definitive' biography of Shostakovich but that she felt compelled to write it because most if not all of Shostakovich's contemporaries are getting up there in years, but I'd say the book is a definite must-read for anyone interested in Shostakovich's music.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Life Understood Through the Eyes of Others, October 20, 2002

By 

Philip Pogson (Ryde, NSW Australia) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Shostakovich (Paperback)

We have too easily forgotten that sport, art, music, science and dance were all sites where Cold War battles were fought. The deprivations of post-Revolution Leningrad combined with the Stalinist years worked to drive the naturally introverted, intense and secretive Shostakovich even more into himself.

This has made Shostakovich a fascinating topic for biographers, speculators and ideologues of all kinds. In addition, we also overlook the fact that musicians will by nature reveal themselves most fully in their art. So if we wish to understand the "real" Shostakovich, we need to turn to his music.

Given these reflections, I found this to be an informative, insightful and moving book. The technique of breathing life into the man through the eyes of others - from his Godmother to neighbours, conductors and family - built a unique multi-level picture of the man underneath the many myths. Will we ever know him fully? Probably no more than we know Shakespeare or Rembrandt both of whose art rises above their particular context.

Finally, I am greatful to Wilson because her book acted to drive me back to the music. I have since returned to Shostakovich's symphonies, chamber music and even the jazz suites with new love and energy. Well worth reading.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Revealing Look at the Composer, May 11, 2006

By 

D. A Wend (Arlington Heights, IL USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Shostakovich (Paperback)

If I were asked to name a book that would give a complete portrait of Dmitri Shostakovich this would be the book that I would name. Elizabeth Wilson's Shostakovich: A Life Remembered is a collection of remembrances of the composer by many people: family, friends, colleagues, admirers and some who simply observed the composer from a distance. There is a wide variety of people who relate an event of Shostakovich's life, provide background on events in the composer's life or simple relate a personal story about him. The number of sources that Ms. Wilson consulted is vast and she also had the opportunity to interview many of the people who know Shostakovich who died since this book was published.

Ms. Wilson (who met the composer when she accompanied Benjamin Britten on a visit) has nicely divided the book into sections dealing with major events, such as the "War Years" and then deals with specific events that occurred like the "Seventh Symphony" and the "Teacher and Master" concerning Shostakovich's students during the period. One of my favorite sections is an interview with Mstislav Rostropovich where he relates a story just after he had won the All-Russia competition. He bought a suit to wear for his concert performances and to celebrate Shostakovich bought a bottle of moonshine vodka that turned out to the worst drink of their lives. Such anecdotes may not be highly important to Shostakovich's professional career but say volumes about him as a human being. The book gives as complete a life of Shostakovich as one would want, and we get a complete perspective. We get insight into why some friends cut themselves off from Shostakovich late in his life from what seemed to be his support of the Communist Party but, probably more important, we get the composer's reactions from his friends and colleagues in an unvarnished way.

The book is illustrated with some interesting photographs from various periods in Shostakovich's life. I have also used this book as a reference when I wanted to know something about one of his compositions. It is a very rewarding book that should not be missed if you have an interest in Dmitri Shostakovich.