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)
