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Shostakovich and His World (Bard Music Festival)

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This book is part of a series of volumes that have been published since 1990 as offshoots from the Bard Music Festival, which examines the music of one composer in depth each year. Laurel Fay, celebrated or reviled in various quarters for her studies on Shostakovich, is the editor of this compilation, but she does not contribute an essay herself. The scholars here come from a variety of nationalities, including Russian, American and British.

Each essay is a stand-alone work, where there isn't necessarily a single unifying "concept" to the whole book, except Shostakovich himself, of course. Thus there is a "grab bag" quality about this collection, but it's a very substantial grab bag. Some chapters, such as by Christopher Gibbs and Simon Morrison, deal with single compositions of Shostakovich. Other authors, like Caryl Emerson, David Fanning, and Peter Schmelz, address broader themes beyond single works. The first two chapters deal more with raw biographical material, namely Shostakovich's letters, in Chapter 1 as a young man to his mother, and in Chapter 2 from the composer to Stalin and other functionaries, where he basically curries favor with the "Great Leader" and the authorities. This gives a new twist and perspective to the brutal denunciation of Soviet composers in 1936 and 1948 and Shostakovich's place there.

By the nature of its source, this book does not pretend to give a broad overview of Shostakovich's life, but examines more specialized subjects in depth. So this book might appeal more to Shostakovich aficionados rather than the person just trying to get acquainted with his music. With that in mind, however, this collection is a rich feast.