Lecture: Dmitri Shostakovich: The Man, The Music, The Myth

Deadline: register via email prior to the lecture

 

Dmitri Shostakovich: The Man, The Music, The Myth

Instructor: Harlow Robinson - expert in Soviet and Russian cultural history, Matthews Distinguished University Professor of History, Emeritus, Northeastern University.

Join us on February 16 at 4pm EST for a free introductory lecture on Shostakovich’s life and works.

Dmitri Shostakovich (1906-1975) was not only one of the greatest composers of the modern era but also a reluctant political figure. From the moment of the triumphant premiere of his First Symphony in Leningrad in 1926 until the day of his death he remained one of the most prominent representatives of Soviet culture.

Born in Tsarist Russia, Shostakovich witnessed many of the defining events of his times: the creation of the USSR, the long nightmare of Stalinist terror, Hitler’s invasion, the Cold War, Khrushchev’s “Thaw,” Brezhnev’s era of stagnation. All these experiences were reflected in his music that provoked subjective responses and widely divergent political and psychological interpretations.

Shostakovich received numerous honors from the Communist Party to which he belonged, and yet the extent of his personal and creative loyalty to the Soviet regime remains a hotly debated issue.

Designed for wide audience, this course will trace the connections between Shostakovich’s biography and his inventive, profound and intellectually probing music.

To register for the lecture, or if you have any questions, please email admin@borderlinesopenschool.org

To enroll into the full course, please visit https://borderlinesopenschool.org/courses/p/shostakovich

The course lectures will be held on Tuesdays, 4pm EST-5:30pm EST
(March 2nd, 9th, 16th, 23rd)