Dmitri's Dacha

[AnotherSpin]

In the USSR, there was a strong effort to promote Maxim, with state TV frequently airing programs featuring him as a conductor. I don't clearly remember the repertoire—was it only his father's music or something else as well? He was far too unconvincing and came across as almost comical in the role of a conductor. Of course, after Maxim fled to the West, all of that stopped abruptly.

Later, Maxim returned back to Russia. It's evident that his grand career in the West didn't materialize, and Putin likely promised him certain privileges for returning back. Who would be surprised? Opportunism seems to run in their family.

As for Maxim's son, Dmitry, Russian sources report that he is involved in photography and electronic music.

[Karl Henning]

Opportunism seems to run in their family.

I see there are certain opportunities you are incapable of resisting, yourself.

[relm1]

I started getting interested in him after reading your post, so tried searching for дмитрий максимович шостакович, which does turn up a few more hits.  This: https://kino.mail.ru/news/41455-vnuk-shostakovicha-predstavil-v-vitebske-fotosjuitu/ suggests that he works, or worked, as a photographer.  I especially like the picture of him - not much doubt that that's our man!  But yes, searches tend to take you round in circles with links either to the piano concerto recording or to the article you posted.

Thanks, that is really cool and yes, that picture is absolutely him!  Strange there is so little about him.  How does he make a living?  Maybe in Russia if you have a famous grandfather you get a state pension or something?

[AnotherSpin]

I see there are certain opportunities you are incapable of resisting, yourself.

Do you want to talk about me? Well, go ahead. Though, I must admit, I'm afraid to disappoint you—your opinion of me doesn't quite reach me.

[AnotherSpin]

Thanks, that is really cool and yes, that picture is absolutely him!  Strange there is so little about him.  How does he make a living?  Maybe in Russia if you have a famous grandfather you get a state pension or something?

In Russia, it doesn't matter who your relatives were. That can have a negative effect just as quickly as a positive one. What really matters is how passionately you kiss ass to your superiors. That's where the big pensions, awards, fame, and respect come from.

[ChamberNut]

Clean up in aisle 157. 

[Brian]

Attempting to determine what from above is fact and what is hostility, I found an interview with Maxim from 2015:
https://www.classicalmusicnews.ru/interview/maksim-shostakovich-svoim-glavnyim-uchitelem-ya-schitayu-ottsa/

With a second wife, he had more children at a very late age (by my math, his daughter was born when he was 60, and his son looks even younger). In the interview he claims he moved back to Russia to raise the kids as Russians in an Orthodox school. He also says that Dmitry Jr. was at that time living in France.

Edit: Every immigrant faces great challenges in forming and keeping their identities, and I don't want to speculate or judge another immigrant's choices about how to maintain that identity. Everyone is different. But my mother was never tempted to raise me as a Turk under Erdogan's government.

[relm1]

Attempting to determine what from above is fact and what is hostility, I found an interview with Maxim from 2015:
https://www.classicalmusicnews.ru/interview/maksim-shostakovich-svoim-glavnyim-uchitelem-ya-schitayu-ottsa/

With a second wife, he had more children at a very late age (by my math, his daughter was born when he was 60, and his son looks even younger). In the interview he claims he moved back to Russia to raise the kids as Russians in an Orthodox school. He also says that Dmitry Jr. was at that time living in France.

Edit: Every immigrant faces great challenges in forming and keeping their identities, and I don't want to speculate or judge another immigrant's choices about how to maintain that identity. Everyone is different. But my mother was never tempted to raise me as a Turk under Erdogan's government.

Nice, thanks for posting.  It sounds like all of Dmitri's grandkids are in music in some way even creating music.  It is also interesting that Gabriel Prokofiev is composing but doesn't seem to have any stylistic connection to his famous grandfather other than the name.  Sometimes it is very hard for a young person to become unburdened by a very famous ancestor and it can be a curse as much as a benefit resulting in them seeking to have nothing to do with the famous ancestor.

[Roy Bland]

[Daverz]

Sometimes it is very hard for a young person to become unburdened by a very famous ancestor and it can be a curse as much as a benefit resulting in them seeking to have nothing to do with the famous ancestor.

Roxanna Panufnik's music also sounds nothing like her father's music.

[relm1]

Darn, wish I understood what they were saying.  I was at the premiere of Orango and Irina Shostakovich was in the audience and received a standing ovation.  I see she's in that documentary.

[AnotherSpin]

Darn, wish I understood what they were saying.  I was at the premiere of Orango and Irina Shostakovich was in the audience and received a standing ovation.  I see she's in that documentary.

If you open it on YouTube, you'll be able to select subtitles in English.

[calyptorhynchus]

I was just giving the discs from the Warner Paavo Berglund box a spin and I remembered how good his recordings of the Symphonies 5, 6, 10 are. As with many of the recordings in that box (including my all time favourite Nielsen 5th) you begin listening, and it's like you're taking a ride in a very expensive car: everything is comfortable and dependable and the ride is very enjoyable.

The three Shostakovich symphonies I mentioned and the Nielsen were all with the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra, but he seems to have elicited the same quality of music from every orchestra he conducted.

[Der lächelnde Schatten]

I was just giving the discs from the Warner Paavo Berglund box a spin and I remembered how good his recordings of the Symphonies 5, 6, 10 are. As with many of the recordings in that box (including my all time favourite Nielsen 5th) you begin listening, and it's like you're taking a ride in a very expensive car: everything is comfortable and dependable and the ride is very enjoyable.

The three Shostakovich symphonies I mentioned and the Nielsen were all with the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra, but he seems to have elicited the same quality of music from every orchestra he conducted.

Yes, there's a remarkable consistency in his conducting and his career in general. For example, all three of his Sibelius symphony cycles are remarkable and, while I prefer his Bournemouth cycle, you cannot refute that the other two cycles are just as consistently performed. His Chamber Orchestra of Europe cycle is an interesting one in particular, because I think it was the first-time that anyone recorded the symphonies with a chamber orchestra. Some of my other favorite recordings of his are the Britten and Walton VCs with Ida Haendel. Remarkable performances.

[Karl Henning]

I was just giving the discs from the Warner Paavo Berglund box a spin and I remembered how good his recordings of the Symphonies 5, 6, 10 are. As with many of the recordings in that box (including my all time favourite Nielsen 5th) you begin listening, and it's like you're taking a ride in a very expensive car: everything is comfortable and dependable and the ride is very enjoyable.

The three Shostakovich symphonies I mentioned and the Nielsen were all with the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra, but he seems to have elicited the same quality of music from every orchestra he conducted.

The Boston Symphony concert he conducted as a guest was superb!

[Madiel]

So I found something new to do on a night of miserable insomnia (made more miserable by a strong bout of the nausea and dizziness I'm battling for the last month): make a list of Shostakovich orchestral works that I can listen to during severe insomnia. Because really, he's probably a good composer for that sort of thing.

Even while being a little conservative in some respects by excluding stage works and film music and arrangements of other composers, but including vocal and choral works (because several of the symphonies are those anyway), I ended up with a list of 41 works. Which means the symphonies and concertos are only half the list.

The scale of those works does vary quite a bit, some are only a few minutes long.

So that's my latest listening "project", Shostakovich in the early hours of the morning. I'm not quite sure whether I'm starting now or whether the time spent compiling the list will help me go to sleep now...

[relm1]

I listened to Maxim Shostakovich's recording of Shostakovich Symphony No. 8 with the LSO and thought it was very good.  Quite slow though.

[foxandpeng]

So I found something new to do on a night of miserable insomnia (made more miserable by a strong bout of the nausea and dizziness I'm battling for the last month): make a list of Shostakovich orchestral works that I can listen to during severe insomnia. Because really, he's probably a good composer for that sort of thing.

Even while being a little conservative in some respects by excluding stage works and film music and arrangements of other composers, but including vocal and choral works (because several of the symphonies are those anyway), I ended up with a list of 41 works. Which means the symphonies and concertos are only half the list.

The scale of those works does vary quite a bit, some are only a few minutes long.

So that's my latest listening "project", Shostakovich in the early hours of the morning. I'm not quite sure whether I'm starting now or whether the time spent compiling the list will help me go to sleep now...

Hope your sleep improves soon.  Unpleasant!

DSCH in the small hours is not a bad idea. I occasionally revisit his SQs at that sort of time. The two do go together somewhat.

[Madiel]

The insomnia is patchy rather than every night thankfully.

[foxandpeng]

The insomnia is patchy rather than every night thankfully.

Thinking of you - insomnia really sucks